My Girl
by 815
Summary: Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and is in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? — Nejiten & minor others
1. lying

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. ( See A/N for more. )

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and is in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

It was a bright and early morning. Calm ocean waves were lapping against the rocks and a tour bus, going way past the speed limit, was careening down the road.

The tour bus honked its horn as it swerved past another car. The cars that were driving by that bus could barely hear the muffled shouts that were coming from the one-way windows.

"Eh he…" The driver, a spiky, blond haired boy, tried to ignore the thumps coming from the back. His hands were gripped on the wheel so hard that his knuckles were near white. "Don't worry!" he called out to the passengers. "We'll be _just_ fine!"

The car swerved to the left making everybody in the back follow as they smashed up against the windows. Murmurs of "oh" and "oh my" swept through the group of passengers.

"Sir…" a young man began as he popped out from behind a seat. "Are you sure we'll be there on time?"

"It's already been 15 minutes!" a woman shouted.

"What are you talking about?" a man cried out at her. "It's probably more than that!" A heated argument arose and the man at the wheel became even more paranoid than before.

"Darn…" the driver mumbled heatedly to himself. "At this rate, we'll miss the flight!"

The man drove diagonally and went faster, making the tourists on the bus slam into the bus' walls once more.

"Tenten, keep stalling!"

* * *

"Where is Naruto?!" Tenten hissed under her breath. She glanced up at the clock. Already 20 minutes had passed and they still weren't here. People walked to and fro inside the airport, indifferent to her current predicament.

The plane staff was eyeing her wearily.

"Eh… Heh, heh…" Tenten chuckled, turning to them. "Don't worry – they'll get here soon!" Then under her breath, "They better…"

"I'm sorry," a service lady said. "The plane is going to leave whether they arrive or not. We have already delayed the flight-"

"No!" Tenten cried. The staff gave her a look. "Err… I mean…" She began to sweat.

"No, my love!" she cried out dramatically. "Don't leave me!"

The staff looked at each other and then back at Tenten.

"Your lover… is on the plane?!"

* * *

Things were relatively the same as before on the tourist bus…

"We're already behind the plane time!"

It was filled with demanding, angry tourists and one pressured bus driver.

Naruto began to panic. He hoped that Tenten had done a good job at stalling the flight so far. If she didn't… well, that would mean that they would owe a lot of money to the angry mob contained in the back over there. His hands clutched the wheel even more as she swerved to the right.

_Gotta hurry…_

* * *

A crowd was formed around the ticket entrance in the airport. And… it was gradually getting bigger.

"Yes…" Tenten gasped, faking tears. A woman that was near her handed a handkerchief from her small purse and the girl snatched it from her hands and dabbed her eyes before blowing loudly into the damp piece of cloth.

She smirked inwardly as she looked at all of the people circling her. THIS would be _plenty_ of time. Tenten continued to cry and moan out her story… or lie.

"I told him… to not go." She sniffed. "But… here I am. I love him… And I agreed in my heart to let him go." She blew her nose again.

"But… he left me with my child… and I just want to see him one last time and tell him… that…" She sucked in a big breath of air and belted out, "I LOVE HIM!"

She burst into tears, the handkerchief covering her face. Behind it, her eyes gleamed as she came up with something else.

All of a sudden, Tenten started coughing dramatically. The crowd gasped and a few women were on the verge of tears. Someone shouted, "Oh my stars!"

"I haven't… got much time to live…" she gasped.

She looked up and reached a hand out.

"DON'T LEAVE ME, MY LOVE!" As an ending touch, Tenten burst out into uncontrollable sobs, the handkerchief hanging uselessly from her right hand. The plane staff looked nervously at one another and then back at the girl that was groaning on the ground.

"Maybe… we should just let her look on the plane," the manager said hastily.

The other staff nodded and they led Tenten in.

* * *

A man was sitting down sipping a glass of water. He was on the quick flight to the city area of Korea. **(1)**

**Bzzzz…**

Hyuuga Neji put down his glass of water and picked up his cell. "Hello?"

"B-Brother **(2)**," a timid voice could be heard on the line.

"Hinata," he addressed.

"The translator for today's meeting c-cannot make it. Would you like the staff to find a replacement?"

"Hn."

"O-Ok. I shall try my best. The schedule for today and tomorrow is on your desk at the office." Silence. "Where are you now?"

The man traced the outside rim of his glass and heaved a tired sigh. "The plane…"

* * *

"OH DEAR!" Tenten cried out, fake tears forming on her amber eyes. "PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!" Her insides were convulsing as she tried to stall the flight even more. It really couldn't take _this_ long just to get to the airport, right? She stumbled through the aisles, trying to go as slow as possible.

_CRAP! WHERE IS NARUTO?_ She scuffled along and coughed loudly every now and then to continue with her act._ I'll have to buy more time… _she thought wearily.

She glanced down at the passengers, shifting through them, to find a well-suited ex-husband… person. She weighed their appearances mentally as she continued along the plane going from the Economy Class to the Business Class.

_Too skinny, too fat, too short, too tall, too superficial, too…_

"Are you sure your lover is here?" the flight attendant asked. "He could be on another plane."

"No, I'm _sure_ he's here!" Tenten replied automatically as she stumbled her way through the aisles. The attendant and the manager gave each other a look as they followed her.

"OH, MY LOVE!" she shouted in a high-pitched voice. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

Alas she glanced at a stoic looking passenger up front in the aisle. Her mouth twisted into a small frown, but bumbled over to him. _He's got weird eyes, _she thought to herself,_ but he's good looking and will do!_

"MY LOVE!" Tenten gasped as she attached herself to the man's seat. "Why must you leave?"

The man looked down with a "what is this?" look on his face.

A little embarrassed, the manager said, "Come on, the plane can't leave with you on board…" He tried to help her up.

Tenten's grip tightened automatically. _No! WAIT! I CAN'T LEAVE! THEY AREN'T HERE YET!_

And with that thought, she fainted.

The attendant and the manager gasped, covering their mouths with their hands. "Mam, mam!" they began to cry as they shook her body back and forth.

The manager looked at the passenger and bowed fervently over and over again. "We apologize for this inconvenience."

Her "lover" looked down disdainfully at her. He looked at the staff as if he was calculating their intelligence. Then he looked at Tenten.

Slowly he went down and whispered in her ear:

"You can stop faking it now."

Tenten's eyes became wide. What the- How did _he_ know?

* * *

**(1) **The place where Tenten lives is just a small island in Korea. The place where the plane is headed to is also part of Korea, but is a city area part of the mainland. I believe city airports do international flights to other countries. I apologize if I'm wrong.  
**(2)** Brother is usually a word used in Korean to address someone (male) who is close to you. It doesn't mean that you two are related by blood. Sister is used for the same purpose, but for a female.

* * *

**A/N.** Haha. I think I got this idea from a Korean drama… Can't remember the name right now. It shall come to me. _My Girl_, I think?

Anyways, the story takes place in **Korea**.


	2. gambling

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and is in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

Her "lover" looked down disdainfully at her. He looked at the staff as if he was calculating their intelligence. Then he looked at Tenten.

Slowly he went down and whispered in her ear:

"You can stop faking it now."

Tenten's eyes became wide. What the- How did _he _know? Her mind raced until her inner conscious took control of the situation.

_No… Don't panic, Tenten! As long as you remain still, he WON'T NOTICE A THING._

Tenten lay still, taking heed of her own thoughts, and averted her eyes on the floor.

She heard the man scoff in annoyance from above. "Quit kidding yourself," the man said raising an eyebrow.

No response.

"…" His eyes narrowed. At last he simply said, "Get off." Well, more like demanded.

Meanwhile, the staff members were looking interestingly at this conversation. The poor dear had fainted. What the hell was this man thinking? It wasn't like she could actually hear him while she was currently in this state of unconsciousness… right?

The manager gulped and the attendant beside him began with, "I don't think she can hear-" However, she quickly shut up as the man sighed from his seat and took out a pen from his pocket.

Slowly, he dug the pen underneath one finger and pried it off of the arm rest. He began to do the same to the other fingers. The manager and attendant looked on curiously, not knowing why the hell he was bothering to do that. If she had just fainted, then couldn't you simply pick her up off the ground?

It was clear they hadn't caught on… yet.

However, Tenten was aware of his intentions. The fingers that were pried off before quickly slid back into place and she tightened her hold onto the arm rest – ignoring the gaze of the stranger harden to a most… uncomfortable extent. Instead, her eyes quickly darted to the staff and then closed. She made a barely audible sigh of relief. They hadn't noticed.

* * *

The doors of the airport burst open as a bus came to a stop on the concrete (badly parked). A group swarmed into the building and there was a loud thumping of running feet.

"C'mon! Let's go!" Naruto cried as him and the tourists made their way through the surprised visitors and guests that were there as well.

Naruto and co. dashed to the right terminal number and the tourists quickly threw their tickets to the attendant. None of them cared if one or two (or all) fluttered to the ground during their rush.

* * *

Hyuuga Neji's eye was twitching.

Here he was with a seemingly fatigued girl clinging on to his arm rest for dear life. His eyes narrowed as he saw the girl move the ones he had recently shoved off and then clench her fingers even tighter around it.

And the staff wasn't even taking notice of it. The man's eyes rolled. Did he really need to waste his breath and tell them to get this crazy woman off of his seat? Couldn't they see that she was stalling this plane for some obnoxious reason that he didn't really care about? He seriously doubted the intellectual expanse of these two and he was going to bring this up to the plane company once he was in the city. But either way, it was clear that this woman was determined to not let go of his seat.

She had guts.

He took his pen once more and dug it underneath the first finger again and pulled. He grunted.

Damn. She was strong.

* * *

_CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!..._

Tenten's mind was going insane. She closed her eyes even tighter and made a resolution.

Once Naruto showed up, she would privately bash his empty head open. No, she was not kidding. Honestly, why couldn't he come any faster? Maybe she should make the tourists pay extra for making her go through this troublesome endeavor. She shook her head mentally at that idea. She _did_ admit that it was her fault in the first place for getting them... and herself, she supposed... into this situation.

She felt the pen go under her finger again. _Oh shit._ She closed her eyes in fear…

…Until she heard the man grunt. She suppressed an obnoxious laugh against his useless attempt.

* * *

Neji heard the girl chuckle a little. **Pfft…**

A vein popped on his forehead.

Oh.

So she thought this was funny did she?!

He nearly stabbed the pen into her finger as he began his task of prying them off. This time he held the pen under and bent it upwards, using his other hand to rip the finger off. As expected, it peeled nicely off.

* * *

Naruto and the tourists began to board on the plane. "Hurry!" he yelled.

The passengers entered the plane and Naruto followed to help them find their seats and also arranging their belongings into the baggage compartments at the top.

"Wow," he said to himself cheerfully. "Tenten did a good job. The plane's engines didn't even start yet." His attention turned back to a woman who was handing him her handbag to put into the upper shelves.

* * *

Tenten grew nervous as the man pried the last finger off.

She flew backwards, forgetting that she leaned her whole weight on the arm rest. As she hit her back against the other seat, Tenten bit her tongue so that she wouldn't let out a yelp of pain from the hard impact she got on her spine. '_Unconscious, unconscious, unconscious!' _was what she chanted fervently in her mind.

Neji turned back facing front. He tucked the pen back into his pocket. "Carry her out," he said unemotionally.

"Yes, sir," the manager and attendant responded simultaneously. They lifted the girl on their shoulders.

"COMING THROUGH, PARDON US!" a loud voice rang out. Tenten snapped her head towards the source. That was… Naruto!

Sure enough, he and the tourists made a loud fuss getting into their seats.

Tenten smiled in relief, and then shut her eyes quickly - remembering that she was supposed to have fainted.

* * *

The manager and attendant dropped her off near the information desk. They both looked at her with concerned faces. Now what were they supposed to do?

"She doesn't look ok…" the manager mumbled. He turned to the attendant. "Maybe we should call the doctor?" She nodded her head in agreement and he continued with, "Maybe the hospital-"

Hearing that, the girl's eyes snapped open and she blurted out, "I'M FINE!" Tenten jumped up instantly, preparing to make her escape if the current predicament required one. She watched as the two of them looked at her like she had risen from the dead.

"Are you… sure?" The manager stared at her, uncertain with her loud out burst. "Perhaps you should lie down. We'll call Dr.-"

"NO!" she cried, beginning to jog backwards towards the exit. "I'm fine! Perfectly ok!" With that said, she swerved herself around and dashed out of the airport without another word.

The attendant and the manager looked at each other, but then decided that it was better to not know. It was an awkward situation and the manager tried to make a joke out of it by saying, "As long as we don't end up getting sued…"

* * *

Naruto came out of the plane entrance moments later and turned to the both of them. "HI!" he greeted loudly. "Did you see a brown-haired girl with buns on her head?" He pointed to his own head to further emphasize his point. The attendant looked at the manager, expecting him to answer.

"… Buns?" the older man inquired. "She just passed through here." The young boy nodded, the grin still on his face, as he began to walk away. All of a sudden, the manager pulled Naruto down by the cuff of his shirt and whispered: "You better take her to the doctor or something and make sure she's ok."

Naruto looked at the man next to him. "… Eh?"

* * *

A tour bus was careening down the road at the normal speed limit.

Tenten yawned as she leaned back on the cushioned seats of the tour bus. "We made it!" she shouted happily. "We're done for the week's business!"

"Barely," her partner corrected, carefully placing his eyes on the road. "You must have told them a whopper…" As an after thought, he quickly added, "It's not good to lie."

The girl rolled her eyes. "We got them on the plane, didn't we?" Tenten answered, fishing through her shoulder bag for some food. Her smile widened as she saw an object for indulging. _Bingo._ Chocolate was always good. "You were the one who was driving – how come you didn't come earlier?" She began to rip of the tin foil.

"What?!" Naruto was flabbergasted that she was going to pin this on _him_. "You said the plane was at a different time!" he accused.

No response.

"Ha!" Naruto adjusted the top mirror to see Tenten's expression. "See? I was right. If you're going to be a tour guide, at least be punctual."

"Ugh," Tenten sighed. "This is coming from you? Your job is so easy! Look at me!" She swept a hand over her body. "I have to visit the same places every single time! Do you know how boring that is?"

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto muttered. "That's the same excuse you make every time something goes wrong and I blame it on you."

She snorted as she moved the foil downwards. "Whatever. Where's your father?"

Naruto heaved a sigh. "Why are you always calling him that? He's your dad too, ne?"

Tenten shrugged, unsure of how to respond. "He just adopted me. Now where is he?"

"Most likely gambling or getting wasted."

This time, Tenten sighed. It was true. He was always doing something stupid. Well, _he_ wasn't doing something stupid. His friend was probably the problem. _Making friends with the wrong type of people..._ She scoffed mentally. "Did you hear where?" she asked dryly.

"I don't know… Something about… horses?" He heard the crinkle sound of the foil and narrowed his eyes. "HEY! Don't get crumbs or sticky hands all over the seats!"

Tenten ignored the latter. "… WHAT?"

* * *

"C'mon… LUCKY SEVEN!" A tall, gray haired man was staring at the TV screen. One of his eyes was covered with a fabric. A wad of bills was in one hand and a white slip of paper was in the other that indicated the number of the object he was currently eye-balling.

"Kakashi," a brown-haired man next to him prompted. He twirled the last of his noodles with his chopsticks. "How much did you bet on that horse **(3)**?" He placed his chopsticks down and he began to slurp up the soup of his ramen.

"… 5… 10… 20…" Kakashi counted the dollars. "I… err…" There was a silence as Kakashi looked at the screen. _To tell him or not to tell him…? I think…_ "…I think everything, Iruka." The man said spat out the soup.

"YOU WHAT?!"

* * *

"Dad!" Tenten's voice could be heard through the crowd of people. She wormed her way to the front. Once there, she looked suspiciously at them both from behind. "So Naruto was right…" she muttered to herself out loud in distaste. One man turned to look at her.

"Ah – Tenten!" Kakashi cried out as if he just noticed her appearance. He extended an arm to shove her a bit more closely to them and apart from the crowd. "You've finally come to witness our big break!"

"… Big… break?" Tenten repeated stupidly. Her eyes narrowed. _I have a bad feeling…_ "What is he talking about?" she asked to Iruka.

"Ah…" Iruka sweat dropped a bit. "Well you see Tenten…" Kakashi butted in hastily with, "Oh don't worry, Tenten!" He turned to Iruka whispered so that only they could hear, "_Don't tell her anything. She'll __**blow**__ it!"_

Unaware of the message that was conspired between the two, Tenten turned to the big plasma screen that was shown above their heads. Horses. Lots and lots of horses. She sighed.

"I can't believe you both are already starting to gamble!" she spat out. "And with my money too!" She held out her hand toward Kakashi as if she was expecting Kakashi to hand back her savings. He didn't. Instead, he looked dumbly at her palm as his eyes widened in realization.

"Tenten-chan…" he began, his voice dripping with honey. He clutched the wad of bills close to his chest. "I'm your father's BESTEST friend in the ENTIRE world!" He turned to Iruka.

"Surely you can allow-"

"How much did you bet this time?!" Tenten's voice was getting louder and she did all she could to restrain herself from screaming. "Huh?! You know; if you're going to bet, then just pay them back on your own!" She whacked Kakashi's head with the back of her hand. "After all those times I had to pay back those debts! Ugh!"

No one stopped her, so she continued to ramble. "You think it's so easy to just waltz in here and through money on the table! How much did you give out?!"

Silence. Iruka and Kakashi gave each other a look. Kakashi's face was a more of, 'Don't tell her, dammit!' and Iruka's face was more of a 'She deserves to know' look.

The girl crossed her arms over her chest. "Well?!" she demanded. "How much?!"

"… Everything. (Iruka)" "$10. (Kakashi)" Two answers at once. Of course, Tenten chose to believe the… erm… more… _costly_ conclusion.

"_EVERYTHING?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"_ she was screeching now. "YOU BET EVERYTHING ON ONE DAMN-"

"**AND THEY'RE OFF!"** the announcer's voice was louder than Tenten's, but just barely.

Kakashi, Iruka, and Tenten's attention immediately went to the screen. Suddenly, all three of them simultaneously began to chant together:

"LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN!"

"**Horse 1 speeds forward, but is immediately left in the dust!"**

"LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN!"

"**Horse 7 seems to be breaking apart – and he does! Horse 3 and 8 are following behind!"**

"LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN!"

"**Horse 10 has is gaining a lead! He passes Horse 9 with colors!"**

"LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN!"

"**Horse 7 is going for the lead! The winning line is dead ahead!"**

"LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN!"

"**He makes it… and… what?"**

"Lucky… seven…?"

Kakashi stopped chanting.

Iruka stopped chanting.

Tenten stopped chanting.

And her mouth dropped open too.

"**Horse 3 speeds past Horse 7 before he reaches the finish line!"**

The screen flashed Horse 7 about to touch the line, and then Horse 3 billowing past him. The screen froze, replayed in slow motion, and then froze again. Kakashi muttered something along the lines of, "Way to rub it in."

"**UNBELIEVABLE FOLKS, UNBELIEVABLE! HORSE 3 WINS THIS RACE!"**

"No… frickin' way…"

That just **DID NOT HAPPEN!**

* * *

**(3)** Iruka and Kakashi are betting on horses running for the horse race. It was probably obvious, but I just added the note here in case.

* * *

**A/N.** Yes. Iruka was placed in the position of the dad because of his fatherliness to Naruto. Kakashi is in there too because Iruka is too good-hearted to gamble. Kakashi is good-hearted too - just not as good-hearted as Iruka. XD

**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. ( . 0 . ) Or just read.**

_iheartyu.xD  
dancergirl519  
Spetiane_


	3. running

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and is in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

Her "lover" looked down disdainfully at her. He looked at the staff as if he was calculating their intelligence. Then he looked at Tenten.

Slowly he went down and whispered in her ear:

"You can stop faking it now."

Tenten's eyes became wide. What the- How did _he _know? Her mind raced until her inner conscious took control of the situation.

_No… Don't panic, Tenten! As long as you remain still, he WON'T NOTICE A THING._

Tenten lay still, taking heed of her own thoughts, and averted her eyes on the floor.

She heard the man scoff in annoyance from above. "Quit kidding yourself," the man said raising an eyebrow.

No response.

"…" His eyes narrowed. At last he simply said, "Get off." Well, more like demanded.

Meanwhile, the staff members were looking interestingly at this conversation. The poor dear had fainted. What the hell was this man thinking? It wasn't like she could actually hear him while she was currently in this state of unconsciousness… right?

The manager gulped and the attendant beside him began with, "I don't think she can hear-" However, she quickly shut up as the man sighed from his seat and took out a pen from his pocket.

Slowly, he dug the pen underneath one finger and pried it off of the arm rest. He began to do the same to the other fingers. The manager and attendant looked on curiously, not knowing why the hell he was bothering to do that. If she had just fainted, then couldn't you simply pick her up off the ground?

It was clear they hadn't caught on… yet.

However, Tenten was aware of his intentions. The fingers that were pried off before quickly slid back into place and she tightened her hold onto the arm rest – ignoring the gaze of the stranger harden to a most… uncomfortable extent. Instead, her eyes quickly darted to the staff and then closed. She made a barely audible sigh of relief. They hadn't noticed.

* * *

The doors of the airport burst open as a bus came to a stop on the concrete (badly parked). A group swarmed into the building and there was a loud thumping of running feet.

"C'mon! Let's go!" Naruto cried as him and the tourists made their way through the surprised visitors and guests that were there as well.

Naruto and co. dashed to the right terminal number and the tourists quickly threw their tickets to the attendant. None of them cared if one or two (or all) fluttered to the ground during their rush.

* * *

Hyuuga Neji's eye was twitching.

Here he was with a seemingly fatigued girl clinging on to his arm rest for dear life. His eyes narrowed as he saw the girl move the ones he had recently shoved off and then clench her fingers even tighter around it.

And the staff wasn't even taking notice of it. The man's eyes rolled. Did he really need to waste his breath and tell them to get this crazy woman off of his seat? Couldn't they see that she was stalling this plane for some obnoxious reason that he didn't really care about? He seriously doubted the intellectual expanse of these two and he was going to bring this up to the plane company once he was in the city. But either way, it was clear that this woman was determined to not let go of his seat.

She had guts.

He took his pen once more and dug it underneath the first finger again and pulled. He grunted.

Damn. She was strong.

* * *

_CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!..._

Tenten's mind was going insane. She closed her eyes even tighter and made a resolution.

Once Naruto showed up, she would privately bash his empty head open. No, she was not kidding. Honestly, why couldn't he come any faster? Maybe she should make the tourists pay extra for making her go through this troublesome endeavor. She shook her head mentally at that idea. She _did_ admit that it was her fault in the first place for getting them... and herself, she supposed... into this situation.

She felt the pen go under her finger again. _Oh shit._ She closed her eyes in fear…

…Until she heard the man grunt. She suppressed an obnoxious laugh against his useless attempt.

* * *

Neji heard the girl chuckle a little. **Pfft…**

A vein popped on his forehead.

Oh.

So she thought this was funny did she?!

He nearly stabbed the pen into her finger as he began his task of prying them off. This time he held the pen under and bent it upwards, using his other hand to rip the finger off. As expected, it peeled nicely off.

* * *

Naruto and the tourists began to board on the plane. "Hurry!" he yelled.

The passengers entered the plane and Naruto followed to help them find their seats and also arranging their belongings into the baggage compartments at the top.

"Wow," he said to himself cheerfully. "Tenten did a good job. The plane's engines didn't even start yet." His attention turned back to a woman who was handing him her handbag to put into the upper shelves.

* * *

Tenten grew nervous as the man pried the last finger off.

She flew backwards, forgetting that she leaned her whole weight on the arm rest. As she hit her back against the other seat, Tenten bit her tongue so that she wouldn't let out a yelp of pain from the hard impact she got on her spine. _Unconscious, unconscious, unconscious! _Was what she chanted fervently in her mind.

Neji turned back facing front. He tucked the pen back into his pocket. "Carry her out," he said unemotionally.

"Yes, sir," the manager and attendant responded simultaneously. They lifted the girl on their shoulders.

"COMING THROUGH, PARDON US!" a loud voice rang out. Tenten snapped her head towards the source. That was… Naruto!

Sure enough, he and the tourists made a loud fuss getting into their seats.

Tenten smiled in relief, and then shut her eyes quickly - remembering that she was supposed to have fainted.

* * *

The manager and attendant dropped her off near the information desk. They both looked at her with concerned faces. Now what were they supposed to do?

"She doesn't look ok…" the manager mumbled. He turned to the attendant. "Maybe we should call the doctor?" She nodded her head in agreement and he continued with, "Maybe the hospital-"

Hearing that, the girl's eyes snapped open and she blurted out, "I'M FINE!" Tenten jumped up instantly, preparing to make her escape if the current predicament required one. She watched as the two of them looked at her like she had risen from the dead.

"Are you… sure?" The manager stared at her, uncertain with her loud out burst. "Perhaps you should lie down. We'll call Dr.-"

"NO!" she cried, beginning to jog backwards towards the exit. "I'm fine! Perfectly ok!" With that said, she swerved herself around and dashed out of the airport without another word.

The attendant and the manager looked at each other, but then decided that it was better to not know. It was an awkward situation and the manager tried to make a joke out of it by saying, "As long as we don't end up getting sued…"

* * *

Naruto came out of the plane entrance moments later and turned to the both of them. "HI!" he greeted loudly. "Did you see a brown-haired girl with buns on her head?" He pointed to his own head to further emphasize his point. The attendant looked at the manager, expecting him to answer.

"… Buns?" the older man inquired. "She just passed through here." The young boy nodded, the grin still on his face, as he began to walk away. All of a sudden, the manager pulled Naruto down by the cuff of his shirt and whispered: "You better take her to the doctor or something and make sure she's ok."

Naruto looked at the man next to him. "… Eh?"

* * *

A tour bus was careening down the road at the normal speed limit.

Tenten yawned as she leaned back on the cushioned seats of the tour bus. "We made it!" she shouted happily. "We're done for the week's business!"

"Barely," her partner corrected, carefully placing his eyes on the road. "You must have told them a whopper…" As an after thought, he quickly added, "It's not good to lie."

The girl rolled her eyes. "We got them on the plane, didn't we?" Tenten answered, fishing through her shoulder bag for some food. Her smile widened as she saw an object for indulging. _Bingo._ Chocolate was always good. "You were the one who was driving – how come you didn't come earlier?" She began to rip of the tin foil.

"What?!" Naruto was flabbergasted that she was going to pin this on _him_. "You said the plane was at a different time!" he accused.

No response.

"Ha!" Naruto adjusted the top mirror to see Tenten's expression. "See? I was right. If you're going to be a tour guide, at least be punctual."

"Ugh," Tenten sighed. "This is coming from you? Your job is so easy! Look at me!" She swept a hand over her body. "I have to visit the same places every single time! Do you know how boring that is?"

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto muttered. "That's the same excuse you make every time something goes wrong and I blame it on you."

She snorted as she moved the foil downwards. "Whatever. Where's your father?"

Naruto heaved a sigh. "Why are you always calling him that? He's your dad too, ne?"

Tenten shrugged, unsure of how to respond. "He just adopted me. Now where is he?"

"Most likely gambling or getting wasted."

This time, Tenten sighed. It was true. He was always doing something stupid. Well, _he_ wasn't doing something stupid. His friend was probably the problem. _Making friends with the wrong type of people..._ She scoffed mentally. "Did you hear where?" she asked dryly.

"I don't know… Something about… horses?" He heard the crinkle sound of the foil and narrowed his eyes. "HEY! Don't get crumbs or sticky hands all over the seats!"

Tenten ignored the latter. "… WHAT?"

* * *

"C'mon… LUCKY SEVEN!" A tall, gray haired man was staring at the TV screen. One of his eyes was covered with a fabric. A wad of bills was in one hand and a white slip of paper was in the other that indicated the number of the object he was currently eye-balling.

"Kakashi," a brown-haired man next to him prompted. He twirled the last of his noodles with his chopsticks. "How much did you bet on that horse **(3)**?" He placed his chopsticks down and he began to slurp up the soup of his ramen.

"… 5… 10… 20…" Kakashi counted the dollars. "I… err…" There was a silence as Kakashi looked at the screen. _To tell him or not to tell him…? I think…_ "…I think everything, Iruka." The man said spat out the soup.

"YOU WHAT?!"

* * *

"Dad!" Tenten's voice could be heard through the crowd of people. She wormed her way to the front. Once there, she looked suspiciously at them both from behind. "So Naruto was right…" she muttered to herself out loud in distaste. One man turned to look at her.

"Ah – Tenten!" Kakashi cried out as if he just noticed her appearance. He extended an arm to shove her a bit more closely to them and apart from the crowd. "You've finally come to witness our big break!"

"… Big… break?" Tenten repeated stupidly. Her eyes narrowed. _I have a bad feeling…_ "What is he talking about?" she asked to Iruka.

"Ah…" Iruka sweat dropped a bit. "Well you see Tenten…" Kakashi butted in hastily with, "Oh don't worry, Tenten!" He turned to Iruka whispered so that only they could hear, "_Don't tell her anything. She'll __**blow**__ it!"_

Unaware of the message that was conspired between the two, Tenten turned to the big plasma screen that was shown above their heads. Horses. Lots and lots of horses. She sighed.

"I can't believe you both are already starting to gamble!" she spat out. "And with my money too!" She held out her hand toward Kakashi as if she was expecting Kakashi to hand back her savings. He didn't. Instead, he looked dumbly at her palm as his eyes widened in realization.

"Tenten-chan…" he began, his voice dripping with honey. He clutched the wad of bills close to his chest. "I'm your father's BESTEST friend in the ENTIRE world!" He turned to Iruka.

"Surely you can allow-"

"How much did you bet this time?!" Tenten's voice was getting louder and she did all she could to restrain herself from screaming. "Huh?! You know; if you're going to bet, then just pay them back on your own!" She whacked Kakashi's head with the back of her hand. "After all those times I had to pay back those debts! Ugh!"

No one stopped her, so she continued to ramble. "You think it's so easy to just waltz in here and through money on the table! How much did you give out?!"

Silence. Iruka and Kakashi gave each other a look. Kakashi's face was a more of, 'Don't tell her, dammit!' and Iruka's face was more of a 'She deserves to know' look.

The girl crossed her arms over her chest. "Well?!" she demanded. "How much?!"

"… Everything. (Iruka)" "$10. (Kakashi)" Two answers at once. Of course, Tenten chose to believe the… erm… more… _costly_ conclusion.

"_EVERYTHING?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"_ she was screeching now. "YOU BET EVERYTHING ON ONE DAMN-"

"**AND THEY'RE OFF!"** the announcer's voice was louder than Tenten's, but just barely.

Kakashi, Iruka, and Tenten's attention immediately went to the screen. Suddenly, all three of them simultaneously began to chant together:

"LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN!"

"**Horse 1 speeds forward, but is immediately left in the dust!"**

"LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN!"

"**Horse 7 seems to be breaking apart – and he does! Horse 3 and 8 are following behind!"**

"LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN!"

"**Horse 10 has is gaining a lead! He passes Horse 9 with colors!"**

"LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN!"

"**Horse 7 is going for the lead! The winning line is dead ahead!"**

"LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN, LUCKY SEVEN!"

"**He makes it… and… what?"**

"Lucky… seven…?"

Kakashi stopped chanting.

Iruka stopped chanting.

Tenten stopped chanting.

And her mouth dropped open too.

"**Horse 3 speeds past Horse 7 before he reaches the finish line!"**

The screen flashed Horse 7 about to touch the line, and then Horse 3 billowing past him. The screen froze, replayed in slow motion, and then froze again. Kakashi muttered something along the lines of, "Way to rub it in."

"**UNBELIEVABLE FOLKS, UNBELIEVABLE! HORSE 3 WINS THIS RACE!"**

"No… frickin' way…"

That just **DID NOT HAPPEN!**

* * *

**(3)** Iruka and Kakashi are currently betting on horses running for the horse race. It was probably obvious, but I just added the note here in case.

* * *

**A/N.** Yes. Iruka was placed in the position of the dad because of his fatherliness to Naruto. Kakashi is in there too because Iruka is too good-hearted to gamble. Kakashi is good-hearted too - just not as good-hearted as Iruka. XD

**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. ( . 0 . ) Or just read.**

_iheartyu.xD  
dancergirl519  
Spetiane_


	4. running: op II

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and is in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

Tenten sauntered up to the house with her shoulder bag slung over her back, and was greeted by the collectors.

Her mind raced.

_**Deep breaths, Tenten**_

"You there!" one of them cried out. He dashed over to her with co. behind.

"Are you Iruka's daughter?"

Her eyes widened.

_**Lie, Tenten!**_

"Uh… N-No…" she replied, giving them a sweet smile. "I apologize." She bowed down with respect and then straightened up again. "May I ask why you are here?" she asked curiously, trying to start a friendly conversation with no aspects of killing them or running away on the spot.

_**When you could be doing something else? Like… dying?!**_

"We're here for Iruka's payment." Mumbles went through the group. The leader nodded and added, "And Kakashi's too."

"Ah…" Tenten began slowly; choosing the right things to say. "I'm… afraid that I don't know either of them." Silence between both parties. "P-Perhaps you can try next door?" she suggested hesitantly.

_**I hated those neighbors anyway.**_

"Humph…" the man mumbled. The debt collectors conversed between themselves. There were mumbles of some heated debate until one of them nodded his head. "Perhaps we could-"

Tenten's eyes brightened. _**Yes! Indeed you should.**_

"TENTEN!" a loud voice shouted. Her face collapsed. "WHERE IS FATHER?!"

_**No… THAT VOICE!**_

Naruto dashed out of the door. Tenten's eyes widened.

_**NO!**_

"Uh… I apologize," Tenten said, glaring at Naruto. _Say something wrong and you're DEAD._ "I'm afraid that my father is on a business trip in…" What was far away? "The United States!"

_**Please Naruto. NOTICE THE GLARE.**_

"What?" Naruto cried. "How cruel, Tenten! Even though he adopted you, Iruka's your father too!"

_**DAMN YOU NARUTO!**_

The collectors stared at her.

Silence.

"… Is this true?"

* * *

Neji stepped out from the airport and went into his car.

He'd have to finish his business here quickly to tend to his uncle. He really couldn't understand why he had to. Of course, Hinata had countered with telling him he was the head of the family now, and it was only right that he should. It was his duty as leader of the household. It was what he was supposed to _do_.

He started the car's engines and sighed at the same time.

* * *

"Eh…" Tenten panicked freely now. She almost forgot to breathe. She stared at the group. They were silent, still waiting for her answer. Her eyes darted to them and then to a free path that laid in front of her.

And then she ran.

"Why is Tenten running?" Naruto wondered out loud. "Does she like to run?"

"Go after her!" the leader shouted. He looked at Naruto and then asked, "Are you the son of Iruka?"

"… Ne? I am the last time I checked," Naruto replied. "Why do you ask?"

The man grinned. "You two! Come back here!" Two men in black separated from the group that went after the girl.

"Wait!" Naruto shouted. "What are you- TENTEN! COME BACK AND SAVE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

* * *

Tenten was running for her dear life.

"Damn that Naruto!" she wheezed as she continued to run. Her baggy pants were dragging her down a bit. She began to flap the collar of her over-sized black T. "Damn myself for wearing black in the summer."

She stopped for a moment and turned to look back.

"I wonder if I lost them yet," she huffed. She managed a smile in hopeful-ness. She really, really hoped they-

As if on queue, group of men dashed out from behind a corner and spotted her again. "OVER THERE!"

"Apparently not," she muttered and started running again.

* * *

Neji's car sped down the road.

A blue ocean was to his left and a stone wall to his right. He turned on the radio and was met with the latest big news in Korea.

"**Miss Haruno,"** a woman's voice was heard over the radio. **"What do you plan to do after this year's tennis cup? Are you confident that you'll win first place?"**

"**Uh... I'm confident that I will make Korea proud."** A cheerful voice could be heard. Neji's eyes grew downcast. **"I'm confident in my abilities to win,"** she continued. **"I do hope for my success."** A momentary pause. **"Afterwards..."** she began again.** "I-I might return back to Korea… I have something to patch up-"**

He turned it off.

* * *

"A dead end?!" Tenten cried out. "No way!"

A stone wall lay in front of her.

"There she is!" a collector shouted and he dashed over with the others behind him.

"Damn!" She looked at the wall. Then at the approaching group. Then at the wall again. She realized that she had no choice - no way out except one. Without thinking twice about it…

She began to climb.

* * *

Neji's eyes squinted. What was that silhouette?

* * *

Tenten jumped from the wall rolled down onto the street.

A gray car screeched as it came to a stop.

* * *

Neji's eyes narrowed as he stepped out from the car. He was surprised (well, not really) to find a young woman lying on the ground. Slowly, he bent down and began to shake her.

Tenten opened her eyes a little and glanced over to the wall she had just jumped off from. She saw the debt collectors make eye contact her from beyond the wall. She grinned. This could be her chance to escape.

Closing her eyes, she groaned loudly in pain. Neji stopped shaking her. He should probably take her to a clinic or something.

He lifted Tenten up on his shoulders, opened the doors to the back seat, and dumped her in.

* * *

"Damn," one of the men said, stating the obvious. "We lost her."

"Yes," another said. They all paused for a moment, deciding on their next course of action.

"But for all we know, that man is taking her to the hospital…" the leader said, walking to the center of the group. It took ten seconds for everyone else to process the information and understand what he was suggesting.

"And we can intercept her from there," another finished gleefully.

* * *

"How is she?" Neji asked near the hospital bed.

The doctor smiled. "She's alright. Just a few minor cuts…" He looked awkwardly at her though. "However, they probably weren't from the car…" He looked back at the Hyuuga, trying to hide the slight suspicion in his voice.

"You said she jumped off a _wall_?"

"… Yes…" Neji confirmed, mentally hitting himself for how stupid that sounded. It almost made it sound as if _he_ shoved her off or something and that he was trying to hide it. They were probably going to call the authorities later or whatever… He waited for the man's response.

"Huh," the doctor prompted at last. "In that case, her cuts must've been from when she fell down. I don't understand how she fainted though…" He tapped his chin with a fountain pen.

"Shock of impact?" he asked to no one in particular. He shook his head. "Anyways, I will go collect the test results again just to double check." He left the room.

Neji turned to the nurses that were tending to the girl. "If she wakes up, just give her this," he told them as he handed a business card over.

He left the room as well.

* * *

Tenten cracked open one eye.

"Wow," a nurse gasped. "A… A Hyuuga!"

The girl's mouth formed into a confused frown. _Hyuuga? What's that?_

"It looks like he's the manager of the hotel around here," the other said looking over her shoulder.

Tenten arched an eyebrow as she corrected her last thought. _Or who is that? Wait… manager? _Dollar signs began to float through her head. She swore she heard a **CHA-CHING!** sound somewhere…

Tenten shot up and snatched the card away from their hands. "That's mine," she said. Staring at it, she proceeded to get off the hospital bed and go out.

The nurses looked at her in surprise. Then at each other. Then at her again. "A-Are you… ok? No injuries or anything?" one asked.

The bun-haired girl looked at them. "Injuries…?" She remembered the fall. "Oh right! Nope! No injuries!"

"Where are you going?" a nurse asked.

"Uh…" Tenten was hovering beside the open door. "… Getting a drink!" she finished and dashed out.

* * *

Tenten dusted off her shirt as she lifted the tab on the machine to pour herself a cup. She chugged the water down her throat and discarded the paper cup in the trash can near the machine. She swallowed and sighed.

"This is so messed up," she groaned.

"I wonder what happened to Naruto… I'll also have to pack up our stuff at the house. Perhaps we can stay over at Ino's house in the city…"

Her mind went to the two who went over seas. "Father and Kakashi are on their way to Japan… but our house… And I have no money!"

She took a glance at the business card. And lifted it up toward the ceiling lights.

"You're my only hope now!" she cried as she held it up proudly. "Perhaps the man will take pity on me and give me some cash!" She began to walk back to the hospital room.

"First I have to get out of here… Or else that man might hand me the medical bill or something!"

She was near the door now.

"Where is she?" a voice asked dangerously.

Tenten stopped and peeked into the room.

She spotted the debt collectors inside. The group was smaller though. About 5 or 6 people. One of them took a glance toward the door.

Tenten gasped and quickly snapped her form back into the hallway, leaning back on the wall and biting her lip.

_How did they find me here?!_

Inwardly she panicked trying to figure out what to do. The only thing that processed through her mind was: _Debt collectors… nurses… MONEY. FOR WHICH I HAVE NONE OF!_ Over and over the thought churned inside her head…

Until she spotted a janitor's closet.

* * *

**A/N.** Augh. It's so tiring to revise a chapter all over again. D: It's partially embarrassing to read it over again and such. Haha. But I still do it and revise it so it's so much more awesome. XD Ah well. It's also annoying to find how short my sentences are. I'll have to improve on that.

**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. Or just read.**

_Spetiane  
Matahari  
Inuzuka Hiraku  
Shadow-Ninja-Fay  
Ice Phnix _


	5. tired of running

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and is in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

"Where is she?" a voice asked dangerously.

Tenten stopped and peeked into the room.

She spotted the debt collectors inside. The group was smaller though. About 5 or 6 people.

One of them took a glance toward the door.

Tenten gasped and quickly snapped her form back into the hallway, leaning back on the wall and biting her lip.

Until she spotted a janitor's closet.

* * *

"PARDON ME!" a brunette long-haired girl in a bandanna charged through the hallways and began mopping up random places. She took out a duster and began dusting the water machine. She shouted to random bystanders, "Move, move, move! I'M A JANITOR ON DUTY." She swatted at a few people with her mop, trying to dash them out of the area.

"LET'S GO THIS WAY!" a collector shouted. Ironically, he was pointing in Tenten's direction.

The girl looked and gasped. She quickly maneuvered her way through the doctors, patients, and nurses.

Then she stopped, her eyes widening. Another group was coming this way also! She quickly began trying to go backwards, but saw the previous group charging at her. Gosh this area was crowded.

"OH RIN!" a man sobbed. Tenten looked around, following the voice.

She spotted a patient on a stretcher with a father crying next to them.

* * *

"RIN! HOW COULD-"

"_**OH**_! How sad!" a girl with long, brown hair stopped by with a handkerchief (or was it a bandana?) in her hand sobbing. "It must be serious," she muttered to the father, covering both their faces with the handkerchief.

The man couldn't help but notice a fleet of men pass by going in opposite directions at the same exact time. Tenten at once resumed back crying (or was it laughing in joy?) over 'Rin.'

The father looked at her and then at the doctor. He made a "what the hell?" look on his face and jabbed his thumb toward her. The doctor who was looking at the reports looked over to where he was pointing and arched an eyebrow in question. He looked back at the man next to him wondering if he needed a check-up too, but the man persisted on the girl that was next to him.

Alas, the girl was gone.

* * *

Tenten ran through the hallways. She turned left, turned right, and then just settled on going straight. There were men in black clothing in both those areas. Maybe there were more than she thought…

"Damn!" she cried. "What am I going to do now?" She worked on getting the baggy janitor's uniform off of her – even thought it was foolish to do so when over 10 people are searching a hospital looking for you.

She kept on running.

Until she passed the doctors' lounge.

She quickly jogged backwards.

* * *

The group of black joined together again. All of them were wheezing and huffing in exhaustion.

"Where the hell did that girl go?" one of the cried before collapsing on the ground. Many followed suit not caring where they landed. There was a moment of recuperation for their oxygen supply until…

"Wait! We've been doing this all wrong!"

They all looked at the man who had spoken. "We have?" they asked simultaneously.

"Of course! We should wait by the entrance. She's _bound_ to show up when she leaves!" All of them slowly began nodding their heads and then nodding them faster in realization. Murmurs of "yes" and "we'll get her" swept through them.

"Excuse me young men!" a woman in two buns with spectacles on her nose went over to them. "What do you think you're doing? There's no loitering here in the hospital! Please wait…" the "doctor" paused, thinking. "A good 500 meter radius from the hospital!" She grinned smugly (at her intelligence).

The collectors froze when she came by them. "We're here to see a patient," one explained. He bowed to the woman and nudged the others in the ribs.

"Yes! A patient!" one cried densely. "We're here to steal all of their money-ACK!" The man was cut off by a hard nudge in his funny-bone.

"Oh? And who may she be?"

"She's the daughter of-"

Silence.

"Y-Yes?" Tenten asked nervously.

"…"

"… How did you know it was a she?"

Tenten sweat dropped and then laughed uneasily. "Eh… heh… I'm a genius… And a doctor! THAT IS WHY!"

They all looked at each other. Then at Tenten.

"AFTER HER!"

"CRAP!"

* * *

Tenten was running for her dear life… again. She squirmed past a group of doctors blocking the hallways while the collectors slammed into them like they were bowling pins.

"COME BACK HERE!"

"AS IF!" Tenten retorted as she turned a corner and disappeared out of sight. The only thing they could see was a white coat flutter out uselessly in the breeze.

The group came to a halt.

"Damn… we lost her," one said. Another man beside him sighed in frustration. "No! Didn't you hear me before? I said to…" He waited for the others to fill his sentence in magically.

When none volunteered, one said (dryly), "Wait at the entrance?"

"Of course! Now let's all go and test by brilliant plan!"

* * *

"She's not showing up."

"Are you all idiots?!" the man cried exasperated. "Can't you see she can't possibly leave? There's only ONE entrance. It's a FULL PROOF plan."

A hospital car rushed past with its red lights flashing.

"WHAT THE-"

On the back, Tenten was waving and making ugly faces at them while laughing her head off at the same time.

"One entrance, huh?"

"Full proof, huh?"

"SHUT UP AND GO AFTER HER!" Silence.

"We can't, idiot."

* * *

"Man…" Tenten groaned as she threw a doctor's stethoscope to the side of the road. She tugged on her ribbons to make them tighter around her buns. What she really wanted (and needed) was a nice, warm bath at home.

She stopped in mid-step on the pavement of the road.

"I can't go back…" she said. "Dad and Kakashi bet everything…" She looked at the business card that was slightly disheveled in her hand. She was clenching her fist throughout the whole hospital experience, so it wasn't surprising that the card appeared that way. But even if it was shriveled up and had messed up corners, Tenten brightened up considerately when she laid eyes on it.

"I forgot about this!" She began skimming through it to find the address. **(5)**

_**Hyuuga Neji**_  
_Hotel Manager & Company Heir_  
_97 Sunhill Terrence_

She went back and went to find her way to the hotel.

* * *

"The girl is fine," the doctor told Neji as he handed him her test results. "It's still a mystery as to _why_ she fainted, but I suppose it doesn't matter as she's well enough to go home today." Neji bowed in a quick and un-verbal "thank you." He left the doctor and went into the patient's room.

Only to find that she wasn't there.

The two nurses sat in a corner. They shot up out of their seats when he walked by. They both bowed down respectfully at the same time.

"Where is she?" he asked.

The nurses looked at each other and shrugged. "We don't know," one of them said shakily.

"She left to get a drink," the other butt in, "but she never returned. Men came looking for her."

"… Hn," he grunted. _Well that's a nice way to say thank you._ He stared down at the floor in deep thought before asking, "Did she take my card?"

The nurses turned to each other, and then back at him. "Yes."

Neji nodded. "I have some business to attend to. I shall leave."

"Wait!" a nurse cried. He stopped and arched an eyebrow as she dumped a shoulder bag into his arms. He staggered back a bit from the surprising wait. "She forgot her luggage," the nurse explained sheepishly. "You two must be related. Could you return it to her?"

Neji looked at the purse and then at the faces of the women. He snatched it from them in annoyance and proceeded to make his way out.

* * *

Tenten's eyes were wide. Her jaws were by her knees.

_THE GUY OWNED_ THIS _PLACE?_

She was in front of the most prestigious hotel - five star, no doubt. It felt weird being on the outside of its black fences. It had taken her about half an hour to find the place (she never traveled by rich places often), but it was worth it!

"Damn," she whispered to herself in awe. "This guy must be loaded!" She grinned.

_Thank goodness! I'll be saved!_

She entered into the building and gasped at the couches and antiques that stood on the tables. Tenten lifted up expensive and exotic porcelain figures and ran her hands over the silk table coverings. All the while she was calculating how much they could've been worth. Including the tax and shipping price of course.

At last she quit her curious exploring and ran to a velvet couch and sat down on it, bouncing like a giddy child on Christmas. _Boy, this is comfortable!_

"Excuse me mam." A woman behind a desk eyed her with interest. "Are you here on business?"

Tenten got up from the couch in somewhat embarrassment, and took notice of the great difference between her and the luxurious piece of furniture. She frowned at her baggy cargos and a black T stained with brown dirt. This was not a way to make a first impression.

"Business or pleasure?"

Tenten snapped towards the lady. "… Excuse me, what?"

"Business or pleasure?" the woman repeated.

"Oh, err… Business," Tenten replied.

The lady nodded. "Who do you wish to see?"

"Uh…" she whipped out the business card and slid it over the marble desk. "I'm looking for this man."

"Hyuuga Neji?" the woman inquired as she lifted the card up to her eyes. "The manager?"

* * *

Neji was hunched over a group of papers. To be honest, he was not in the mood for signing and reading the business papers. Of course, Hyuugas never admitted their faults – Neji never admitted he was a procrastinator if there was no physical exertion (such as running, hitting, etc, etc.) involved.

**RING**.

Inwardly pleased for the distraction, he picked the phone up. "Hello?"

"Hyuuga-sir, the guests have arrived."

"Hn."

"…" There was a nervous silence on the phone. "But…"

His eyes narrowed. "But..?" he prompted.

"They speak Chinese."

"…" Silence mixed with a little "Are you stupid?" was on the line. "… Your point?"

"We can't understand them."

Oh. Silence from both people.

"Where's the translator?" Neji asked. "He's supposed to be here."

"Hinata did not tell you? **(6)**" A sigh. "He had an urgent business at the hospital." A pause. "Did you order another translator to come in?"

"… Hn." Neji fiddled with the pen on his desk. "No."

"No?!" the other man cried. "NO?! Then what are we going to do?"

"Calm down," Neji muttered – clearly annoyed. "We can get another translator to come tomorrow."

"Today is a Monday. He wouldn't arrive until Wednesday at the latest." Silence on the phone with a little "Oh, boy. How am I going to tell him this?"

"Just say it," Neji demanded.

"The guests are also eager to receive a tour of the hotel. _Today_. However, it will be difficult with no…" A cough. "Translator."

Neji closed his eyes and held the phone away from him. He took 3 deep breaths. The Hyuuga then took the phone and replied, "I'll see what I can do. Lead them to our most prestigious rooms in the hotel." He paused. "For now."

"Sir." The phone went dead.

He sighed as he placed the phone back down and massaged his temples. Augh. So much for distraction. When exactly had he missed Hinata's explanation on the situation?

Running a business could make his head hurt sometimes.

**RING.**

Neji picked up the phone again. "Hello?" he asked dryly. The last call turned out to be a drag. Neji wasn't expecting any better from this one.

"Excuse me, Hyuuga-sir," the desk secretary began, "but there is a girl here saying that she's on... uh... business and wants to see you."

Neji furrowed his brows. Girl? Is it the same one from the hospital?

"Send her in."

"Sir."

The desk assistant hung up.

* * *

**(5) **The following address is made up. Now that I look back at it, it kinda looks like it's from Kingdom Hearts. X) Heh… Yes, it was random.  
**(6) **Haha. You ask "When did Hinata tell him this?" Flip back to chapter 1 and you will know.

* * *

**A/N.** Hum. :D I didn't really wanted to end it here, but it was kinda getting too long. XD I shall try to update everyday or so like I have been doing, but… Ah. I need a break sometimes. D: Oh yes - for those who saw the drama, I'm going to be screwing it up a bit. So this is based _loosely_ off of it.

**Thanks ****to everyone who read and reviewed. Or just read.**

_Blossoms of Spring_  
_Spetiane_  
_s0ul3ss-bl00dy-d3vil_  
_Matahari __**-**_**Yes, it can be quite a pain, but I try to endure it. XD Thanks for the motivation!**  
_Ice Phnix __**-**_**ZOMG. You guessed right. :D  
**_Shadow-Ninja-Fay __**-**_**My spelling sucks too. But it's all good. **_**- bows -**_** Thank you for adding it to your favorites.**


	6. translating?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and is in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

**RING.**

Neji picked up the phone again. "Hello?" he asked dryly.

"Excuse me, Hyuuga-san," the desk secretary began, "but there is a girl here saying that she's on business and wants to see you."

Neji furrowed his brows. Girl? Is it the same one from the hospital?

"Send her in."

"Sir."

The desk assistant hung up.

* * *

Tenten entered the doorway and bowed slightly.

"Hello!" she greeted cheerfully. "I am Tenten. Pleased to meet your acquaintance!"

The man twitched from the happiness she was emanating from herself. "… Hn," Neji responded. This girl reminded him vaguely of Gai and Lee, caretakers of his Uncle, but he **REALLY** didn't want to think of those two at the moment right now.

Tenten raised her eyebrows. "Hn"? What kind of word was "Hn"? _Gee_, she thought sarcastically._ What a great "Hello! How are you today?"_

"I'm sorry," she responded with a false smile, "But I'm not quite sure what 'Hn' means. Perhaps you could try explaining it to me?"

Neji wisely avoided the question. Instead, he nodded toward her brown shoulder bag. "You left your luggage," he stated.

Tenten shrugged and took it. "There was nothing valuable in there anyway," she told out loud to herself (and maybe to the Hyuuga too – if he was even interested).

"Hn."

She raised her eyebrows again. Ok…

"Anyways, I'm here to ask you for some…" _What was a nice way of saying it?_ She rubbed her thumb and fingers together in thought. _BINGO!_ "Compensation," she finished loudly.

Silence.

"Hn."

Her eyes narrowed. "_Yes…_?" Tenten prompted. She _was_ trying to be polite, but she had one nerve left from today's events. And he was getting on it with his constant "hn's."

He grunted. "Why, may I ask, do you _want_ 'compensation'?"

Tenten widened her eyes_. Damn… _she thought angrily._ I need a reason! I didn't think of one… Or I didn't think I'd need one…_ She closed her eyes and thought. She really didn't think the man would be that stiff. She wasn't wrong all the time. Just… most of the time.

"The hospital today," Tenten said suddenly. He snorted.

"Was taking you there not enough?"

"Ah, well, you…" she stammered, buying time. "You could've nearly run me over you know!" Full of confidence, she gestured to her wounds. "And what about these cuts? You probably-"

"The doctor informed me that your cuts weren't because of the car," he recited. "Perhaps from your fall."

Hum. This guy was bright.

**Switch to Plan B.**

"Who said anything about physical pain?" Tenten asked. "What about mentally? I nearly got killed! I'll get scarred for life!"

Neji smirked. She really wanted some money, didn't she?

"That's your problem," Neji stated. "I already paid for your medical bill. Now… Please leave."

**Switch to Plan C.**

"Cheh!" Tenten huffed. "FINE! I will! I hope you get scarred for life! I hope you feel so guilty that you will rid yourself of this world!"

And with that, she walked out and closed (slammed) the door.

* * *

Neji shook his head in disgrace. _Temper, temper, temper. _His attention was quickly caught by the un-tidiness in the room since the girl came by.

He shifted some ruffled papers into some neat piles. They had become unorganized and some were fluttered on the ground. A neon green business card peeked out from behind a form.

Seeing it, Neji picked it up and took a look at it. The girl's picture was to the left. He smirked at her seemingly bright and cheery smile. However, to him, she just looked naïve.

"Tenten," he read out loud in a deadpanned voice. "Travel Agency expertise, tour guide. Spoken Languages: Japanese, Korean-"

He stopped.

_**Tenten**_  
_Travel Agency expertise, Tour Guide_  
**Spoken Languages:**_ Japanese, Korean, __**Chinese**_

That girl! She knew how to speak Chinese!

"Damn!" he cried and he hurried after her.

* * *

Tenten pressed the down button on the escalator.

"Cheh!" she hissed. "What's wrong with that guy? He has serious emotional issues! Not even taking pity on the weak and poor!" She pressed the button again – eager to get down.

She whipped out the business card angrily. "Look at this card!" she cried. "Gold trimmings - cursive typing! This guy is rich." She glared at his room. "But of course he's too stingy to give to charity."

**DING.**

The elevator doors opened and Tenten stepped inside. She pressed Floor 1 and the Close button to shut the doors. She shifted her shoulder bag a bit.

Inside she sighed to herself. The first plan to get some dough was ruined. Now she had to do some hard labor in order to free Iruka and Kakashi from their debts. Like always.

Before the doors closed, Neji Hyuuga extended a hand to keep it open. She stared wide-eyed at the visitor. Her mind snapped at the familiar face and Tenten's eyes narrowed.

"Y-You!" she cried.

Neji ignored the sudden outburst and quickly asked her, "Do you (huff) know how (huff) to speak (huff) Chinese?"

She stared at him in silence. Then:

"What of it?" _How did he know that? _She looked at him and then raised her eyebrows suspiciously. _A stalker most likely!_

"Come with me."

* * *

_Mmm… This coffee is actually pretty good._ She glanced at the Hyuuga and then scoffed lightly. _Good, unlike this man's personality._

"Ok…" Tenten said. The two of them were in his office. "So you say that you'll reward me - if I can translate what your guests say for you."

Neji nodded. "And vice versa," he quickly added. She nodded. "Vice versa," she repeated.

Silence from both parties. Neji grew tense. If she didn't agree then-

"Hum… How much are we talking here?"

The prodigy sighed clutching his cup a bit tighter than before.

"Is that all you think about in that head of yours?" Neji inquired. "_Money_?"

"I think about it for a good reason!" Tenten retorted. "I've got to look after Naruto and–" She stopped. "Wait! Quick changing the subject!"

He snorted. He never even asked. "Just settle your payment with the secretary. I haven't got time for haggling."

The girl heaved a sigh that was filled with annoyance. "Gee," Tenten muttered. "Couldn't you have said that without insulting me?"

Neji glared at her. It was a wonder how she could tick him off without really trying. "For a woman, you're pretty aggressive." _Vulgar is more like it._

"I'll take that as a compliment." She stared at the empty bowls of her coffee cup. "The way you're treating me is no different!" She huffed angrily.

"Besides that, I can tell from your personality that I won't even get a proper thank-"

**RING.**

Tenten shut up and let the man talk on the phone. He was lucky that it rang. _Very lucky._

"Hello?"

"Hyuuga-sir, the guests are waiting for a tour of the hotel."

"Right. We'll be there." He put the phone down.

Tenten looked at him curiously. "So, when do I begin?"

"Right now."

* * *

"Tell them I say, 'Welcome,'" Neji instructed to her. On the right of him, Tenten mimicked his instructions distastefully with her hands.

"Tenten," he said harshly without looking at her. She immediately stopped and muttered something about "Hyuuga" and "stupid freakish 360 vision."

A group of business Chinese men were present in front of them, murmuring to each other. Tenten could make out _"Is she the translator?"_ or _"Is that his girlfriend?"_ She blushed furiously at that comment.

"_Eh… W-Welcome_ **(6)**," Tenten began.

"Uh… _Today, I will be your translator. Mr. Hyuuga and I will tour you around the hotel grounds._" As she saw that they understood, she gained more confidence and continued, "_If you find that you have anything that you'd like to say to the manager, just tell me and I'll pass it on._" She finished with a polite smile.

However, Neji stared at her. He admitted that he was 16 percent impressed with the string of fluent Chinese that came out of her mouth in the past 20 seconds.

He decided that the rest of the 84 percent was just mere confuzzlement.

"What else did you tell them?" he asked. Or demanded. Or both.

"Kenji…" she began.

"It's **Neji**," he corrected, eyes narrowed. "And since when have we been on a first name basis?"

Tenten scoffed. "Whatever." She turned to him. "Anyways, does it matter? I got your message across." She thought. "Besides, just 'Welcome' is too dry of a greeting."

"How do you know that?" he snapped from embarrassment. "Maybe I was going to tell you to say something else." He couldn't deny that she was partially right though. But he would never admit that. _Especially_ to her.

Tenten gave him a look. "Then just say it. Jeez… I just added some fluff to it." She snorted. "You're making such a fuss over a few words."

"Couple."

"Whatever."

"Hn." He was saying too much lately. And it was all because of that giddy bun-head.

Tenten rolled her eyes as she muttered to herself, "Are all Hyuugas this difficult?"

Neji pretended to not hear. He soon realized that she always had to have the last word. He was unaware of Tenten thinking the same thing.

The guests looked at each other and chuckled.

* * *

Peals of laughter could be heard throughout the night.

"_Sometimes the manager can be quite stingy_," she described to the guests. When she wasn't translating for Neji, she was entertaining the guests in her own way.

"_Today I went up to him to ask for a reward for rescuing his luggage from the hospital!_" Ok, so it was a lie. "_And he wouldn't give me anything! He's as stingy as a-_"

"This is the garden," Neji explained, cutting in. "We will go in and eat now." He turned to Tenten. "Translate."

Tenten glared at the Hyuuga. Why couldn't he treat her better? She was the one doing all the work. She turned around and smiled at the guests.

"_We will be going to eat now!_" Tenten said happily (she was quite hungry). "_Let us go see if the stingy manager spared enough money to buy us a feast!_"

The guests laughed once more.

Neji was irritated as to why the guests were laughing. He sighed. It was clear that Tenten added a bit more… What did she call it? "Fluff" to the sentences. He was a bit curious as to why they are laughing, but knew he would be giving in (to her) if he asked.

* * *

The group entered into the dining area.

Tenten's eyes widened.

Mountains of food were arranged on the table. There were vegetables cut and arranged by color. Turkey drowning in gravy with spices littered around the edges. Fish cut and layered out with parsley and basil trimmings. Potatoes, onions, and peppers sautéed in hot oil.

Tenten secretly wished that she could grab some leftovers for Naruto. If he was here, he'd probably eat everything. She laughed as she imagined how Naruto would be if he was here.

_Well, not everything._ She thought to herself, amused. _There was no ramen in the feast._

"_This man is not too stingy_," a man next to her laughed.

"_What a banquet_," another said.

"Eh heh…" Tenten laughed nervously. She would hurt someone later.

* * *

The girl's stomach grumbled. She had managed to survive 25 minutes without eating. But she didn't know how much more she could without a tiny morsel. Now, you ask: Why hadn't Tenten eaten?

**(1)** She couldn't talk/translate while eating. **(2) **Hyuuga Neji would insult her if she didn't translate.

Of course, Tenten didn't want to sully her pride over a trivial matter – such as a piece of bread. So she was content (well, not really) to wait by the sidelines as she watched (hungrily) the others eat their food.

Actually, scratch the last part. Tenten was doing all she could to get some grub, and by all means she was going to succeed! This, she told herself. (Mentally of course).

_And so…_

Tenten began to reach for a spoon to scoop her some potatoes.

"_I wonder_," a guest began, "_where did this delicious wine come from?_"

"What did he say?" Neji asked, turning to her. She snatched her hand back. He eyed it (and her) suspiciously.

"U-uh… He just wants to know where you get your wine," Tenten quickly mumbled back staring at the food again. Darn this job. She couldn't talk and eat at the same time!

"This wine is freshly grown on the islands east of here," Neji said. "We order it directly so it maintains its flavor." He looked at Tenten, who had just snatched a piece of bread, expecting her to translate.

"Uh_… The wine came from the islands nearby_," she translated ripping of a section of the bread. "_The hotel company orders it directly, so the wine still has its flavor._" She popped the piece into her mouth and began to chew.

"Our fruit also come from that island." Tenten made small strangled sounds and hit her chest a few times_. This guy's quick of thinking up things to say!_

"_He said_," she began, still chewing the bread, "Ahm, hm, hm!" She coughed a bit and hit her chest again to swallow the pieces. "_He said that_ (ahm) _the fruit also come from_ (ahm) _the same island._" She quickly grabbed for her cup of water and chugged it down in one stroke.

The guests laughed at her appearance.

"_You've worked hard today, you should eat!_" one said. Tenten's eyes widened in surprise. The rest of his colleagues agreed.

"_Yes! Don't worry about your job. Just eat for now and then do it later._" She found herself nodding in agreement.

"_We wouldn't want you to starve_," another said. Again she agreed. Yes, that was quite reasonable on her part.

"_Thank you!_" Tenten cried, grinning. "_Thank you!_" She bowed slightly to each of the men.

"What did they say?" Neji asked eyeing the guests and her. They got along so easily that it made him feel like an extra wheel. Hyuugas disliked being an extra wheel. And Neji was a Hyuuga.

"Oh, nothing much." Tenten helped herself to the fried potatoes and onions. "They just told me to eat and not worry about my job."

"…" Ha-ha. Sure. Right. And if you didn't know, that was sarcasm. "What?" he asked again.

"You heard me," Tenten grunted as she stuffed a spoonful of food into her mouth. _These potatoes are good. I wonder how the chicken tastes…_

However, noticing the glare the Hyuuga was giving her, she set down her spoon. Gee, if she knew this was going to happen (which she partially knew), she would have tried to persuade the guests to not worry about her.

_Cheh! Like I would put him before the guests in my list of priorities._ She mentally prepared herself to give him a mouthful of bashing, but stopped herself.

"Just don't complain," she said simply. She nodded to the guests. "They aren't."

Neji grunted disapprovingly, but didn't say anything.

Tenten took it as an "I don't like it, but if it's what they want, then whatever" grunt.

* * *

**(6)** The words in italics are Tenten speaking to the guests in Chinese. I wasn't too patient to translate it using English sounds, so that will have to do.

* * *

**A/N.** Heh. I have a feeling that my chapters are getting a bit longer. (o.o) Ne… For viewers of the drama, you will notice that I have made some weird changes. XD This is just for my own pleasure and… well… screwiness. Now I shall go and write the next chapter.

**Thanks to those who read and reviewed. Or just read.**

_Hatake Megumi  
Ice Phnix_  
_Pyro – Momo_  
_Spetiane_  
_Shadow – Ninja – Fay_  
_ninjafrogofHNM_


	7. the arts of trespassing

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and is in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

_Cheh! Like I would put him before the guests in my list of priorities._ She mentally prepared herself to give him a mouthful of bashing, but stopped herself.

"Just don't complain," she said simply. She nodded to the guests. "They aren't."

Neji grunted disapprovingly, but didn't say anything.

Tenten took it as an "I don't like it, but if it's what they want, then whatever" grunt.

* * *

The night had ended and both Neji and Tenten bid farewell to the guests. Wow. There _is_ something that they do together without hell breaking loose in the process.

As the guests got into the cars escorting them back to the hotel, Tenten turned to Neji with a smug grin on her face. "So…" she began, clicking her fingers, "Where's my payment?"

The prodigy snorted and turned to her. "You ate. Isn't that payment enough?"

"WHAT?!" she cried. But then she mentally slapped herself when the man smirked at her. Her eyes narrowed. _He doesn't even try to hide the fact that he takes pleasure in my pain. What a jerk…_

"You overreact too much," he said. He lifted his coat up and drew out a small white envelope. "Here." Neji tossed it to her.

"Yes! At long last!" Tenten cried giddily to herself. _The smell of money! How it motivates me!_ "Hey! What the-" She had begun to peel the flap open when Neji stopped her.

"Don't open it here," he said. He walked away. Tenten stared at him and then snorted when he was at a far distance.

"'Don't open it here,'" she mimicked in a high-pitched tone. She clutched the envelope tighter. "Honestly…" She huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. "UPTIGHT MUCH?!" She yelled the two words loudly so that he could hear it.

Neji stopped. His first impulse was to ignore it. But a part of him was taking great pleasure in making her angry. "Fine," he said loudly. "Flash your money to the world so that others can steal it."

Hearing no response, he smiled smugly and walked back to the hotel.

For once, Tenten was nearly speechless. She bit back her lip to stop a growl of frustration and instead kicked it all into an unlucky pebble that was in front of her. 19 percent of her was embarrassed. The rest of that 81 percent was frustrated and was thinking of ways to kill the Hyuuga in his sleep. She stopped herself from kicking a tree and instead, closed her eyes and counted to 10 once again. Finally relaxing, she stalked after him.

* * *

Once entering the hotel, she quickly went to the side of the main entrance and slowly opened her envelope. She gasped at the wad of green dollar bills. She laughed to herself as she fanned them out and brought them up to her nose to smell them.

"Ahhhh…!" she cried out blissfully. "Sweet money!" She looked left and right in suspicion as she heeded the prodigy's words. She slowly slid the money back into the envelope and clutched it to her heart, her eyes closed in happiness. _At last! A start to freeing Iruka and Kakashi._

She took out her cell and quickly dialed Naruto's number. The phone rang three times before she heard someone pick up. "Hey, Naruto!" she called cheerfully into the phone. All the while she was flipping the envelope back and forth – savoring the sweet sound of fine, crisp bills swishing back and forth inside. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm starting to pay back dad's debts."

"Ne?" Naruto's loud voice could be heard on the phone. "Tenten? Oh! Nice to hear from you again. Good th-" A small static interrupted what him. Soon, there were more static sounds that disrupted his speech.

"What?!" Tenten asked. "What are you saying?!" The phone became even more static than before and the girl had to resist holding it back from her ear. "Hello? Hello? Naruto?"

"Tenten! I hear you perfectly. What's wrong-" He was abruptly cut off.

"NARUTO?!" Her phone went dead. The girl cursed loudly in Chinese. Of all times the phone had to run out of batteries! She began looking for a charger nearby, knowing that she had enough to pay for one. Giving up, she went over to the desk attendant.

"Excuse me," Tenten said sweetly. "But do you have a cell phone charger I could borrow? It's kinda important."

The lady shook her head. "Sorry. I don't have one." She eyed the girl curiously. "Do you have business with Mr. Hyuuga again?" she asked.

Tenten thought. Then smiled. "In fact…" she began slowly. "I do. Perhaps you can contact me with him again? Tell him that this might be the last time I bother him."

* * *

Hyuuga Neji sighed as he sat down on the couch in front of the TV. Taking the remote, he switched it on as he set his eyes on the documents and papers in front of him. He was exhausted by Tenten's appearance, but it was humorous for him at the same time. He snorted. It was clear that she didn't have respect for others though.

"**Haruno Sakura – representative for Korea – has made it to the finals.**" The TV announcer was speaking loudly. "**Her coach and assistant are proud and also confident in her win against the Russians.**" The screen showed a picture of a pink-haired girl about to serve the ball.

He wanted to turn the TV off, but his finger just wouldn't press down.

"**It's a deuce – 40 to 40. It's Haruno's serve with an advantage on her side. If she manages to win the point, she will win the championships!**"

* * *

Sakura held the ball in her hands, feeling the roughness on it. She clasped a necklace – a key – dangling down the front of her shirt. She bought it up to her lips and kissed it in a quick motion. She threw up the ball and slammed it down with the force of her racket.

* * *

_Neji goes around to the back of her on a candle-light dinner._  
_Taking the necklace, he places it around her shoulders._

* * *

The girl on screen hits the ball and it bounced off near the alley. Neji saw the coach raise a hand – it was in. Another image showed Sakura bouncing up in joy as she was awarded the silver trophy.

"**Unbelievable!**" the announcer cried out. "**The championship title goes to KOREA!**"

Neji looked at the girl in the TV. _You've finally reached your dream,_ he thought.

* * *

_Sakura smiles back up at him as he takes his seat._  
_She fingers the necklace for a moment, then gets up to give him a kiss on the cheek._

* * *

**RING.**

Neji picked up the phone beside him again and shut the TV off, throwing the remote somewhere beside him. His eyes narrowed at the information he received. "What?"

"She's at your door now."

"Hello again!" Tenten cried cheerfully at the instant the man opened the door. She held up her cell phone. "Can you just believe my luck?" She snapped her fingers. "I just go and call a friend and then the batteries went dead. You don't mind if I use your re-charger do you?"

Neji twitched. "What I want is you out-"

"Great! I'm glad you agreed!" She shrugged herself past him inside the office again before he finished. She lifted up a couple of papers; searching for the re-charger.

The Hyuuga slammed the door behind him in annoyance. He glared as he watched Tenten throw up random pieces of paper and rummage through his desk, wrecking his near-perfect organizing system. "What. Do. You. Think. You're. Doing." The sentence wasn't exactly a question. More like a demand.

Tenten arched an eyebrow. She was wondering when he'd start to do that. It surprised her that he was only reacting now. "I'm looking for the thing to recharge my cell," she explained again, pointing at the useless object in her left hand.

He snorted. "Right. Are you back here for more money? I know you're poor, but begging-"

She sighed as she stood up. "I don't want to hear your insults to me right now. Do you want me out of here?" She looked at him and saw the answer in his glare. "Right, so why don't you make me go away even faster by bringing the necessary item to me?" she asked acidly. "You not helping won't make me go away any faster." She looked in another drawer and started to poke around again.

He smirked at her. "How about I just kick you out?"

The girl paused, twitched, and laughed as she shut that drawer, beginning to go through another one just as fast. "If you think that's faster, then go ahead and try." She hoped that he bought the bluff. Kicking her out would probably be a lot quicker… But there's no way that she's going to tell him THAT.

Neji mumbled something, thinking to himself. He considered her everlasting persistence that he has seen so far and frowned. Would kicking her out be faster? The answer came quickly.

Probably… not.

"I'll go get it," he stated. Tenten gave him a "I knew you would see it my way" smile. Something about that smile made him waver his pride a bit more and he resisted the urge to wipe it off… physically. "Don't touch anything," he told her.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. What_ever_." Neji left the room with an inquiring glance as he shut the door. Instantly, Tenten went and sat on the black, luxurious couch. "Jeez. He has it good," she said to herself, leaning back to enjoy the full relaxation of the material.

She spotted the week's newspaper under all the piles of untouched documents and picked it up curiously.

"Haruno Sakura," she read out loud from the headlines. "Tennis player goes to return to Korea once again after winning championships." She smiled as she thought of Korea's latest hero coming in. She often imagined herself being treated with the same honor.

* * *

Neji opened the door to see Tenten lying on his couch and glared. He thought he told her not to touch anything! He coughed loudly to get her attention, and he saw Tenten stir from behind the newspaper. His glare intensified. "Tenten," he said loudly.

She peeked out from the corner of the paper. "Hm?" She saw as Neji lift up the charger with emphasis and then put it down on the table. Hard.

She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Rrrrrrriiiiggggghhhhhtttttt…" she drawled as she got up from the couch. She whipped out her cell with a quick speed and plugged it in the charger and then plugging _that_ into a nearby plug in the wall. She then went back onto the couch and settled down.

The Hyuuga raised an eyebrow. "What are you _doing_…?"

Tenten looked up from the paper again. "What does it look like?" she asked. "I'm waiting for the cell phone to charge again, _duh_."

"… And how long will this take?"

"30, maybe 45 minutes or so," she said shrugging as she looked back at the paper. She rolled her eyes as she felt Neji's glare on her build up once more. "Oh please," she muttered to herself.

"And what," the Hyuuga stated with venom, "are you planning to _do_ until that time?"

Tenten snorted. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked. Neji remained silent. It _was_ a bit obvious. When he didn't respond, she waved her hand at him and added, "Don't worry _Mr._ Hyuuga. I won't bother you. Just do whatever you do."

* * *

Neji turned to Tenten who was now leaned back with the newspaper over her head in clear sleeping mode. He scoffed. He had a sense that this would happen… _eventually_. He looked at the clock. An hour had passed. _AN HOUR._

He went over to her and took the newspaper from her, finally getting a good glance at it. He stiffened at the headlines. _Coming back to Korea…? _He looked at the date of the newspaper. This week's. Recent. He frowned.

Meanwhile, Tenten was imagining a romance scene in her mind that often happened on soap operas. When the guy walks over to the girl and sees her sleeping and then puts a coat on her and then watches her sleep or something. However, she gagged (also mentally) since she saw Neji's stoic face in the middle of it all. Neji wasn't the type to do that.

How does she know this? It's because she can feel the proof kicking her right now.

"Tenten!" Neji growled. He kicked the couch even harder. "Wake up!" Tenten didn't want to face his wrath right now. She turned a bit to the left in order to hide her face a bit as she scrutinized the problem at hand.

Meanwhile, Neji stared at her. He _knew_ she was awake. He _knew_ that she knew that he knew she was awake. "Tenten!" He shouted a bit louder. "Wake up!" Still no response. "Tenten," he said again. "I _know_ you're awake."

At that, the girl "magically" woke up from her so-called deep slumber. "Eh…?" she mumbled, dazed, as she sat up on the couch again. "Oh Neji!" she cried, seemingly surprised as she shook her head out. She yawned (Neji snorted – he knew it was fake). "Sorry. I must've dozed off," she laughed. "Silly me."

He snorted again and threw the cell phone to her. "It's charged," he said. _Now get out_.

Tenten took it and pressed it on, calling Naruto right there on the spot. Neji stared at her, once again, asking the same question for the third (or was it fourth?) time. "What are you _doing_?"

Tenten looked at him, once again, giving him the same look and answer for the third (or was it fourth?) time. "What does it look like?" Neji sighed. It was always like this, he realized. Ten different answers before she said the truth.

"I know that," he muttered with annoyance. "But why are you doing it _here_?"

"A not more convenient time than the present," she said quickly and held the phone up to her ear – silencing the Hyuuga quickly. "Hey… Naruto?"

"Tenten!" The girl held the phone away from her ear, quickly giving the time for her ear drums to heal. Naruto's voice was loud – even Neji could hear it from such a distance. "Eh he…" she said sheepishly. "Don't speak so loud, Naruto."

Neji's eyebrows lifted. Naruto? Who was this "Naruto" that she spoke of? A boyfriend? He waved the thought away and snorted. Like the girl in front of him could ever get someone of the opposite sex to like her. Maybe a brother… or a friend… or something. An uncle? He blinked. And shook his head. This was none of his business.

"I wanted to ask you to rent out an apartment for us," Tenten said as she began fixing her buns slightly. "What?" She grasped the cell again with one hand. "Yeah, I'm doing fine. The collectors are off my track… for awhile…"

Her eyes narrowed and she cried, "What?! What do you mean I couldn't possibly dodge them by myself?! Why you-"

The way she chatted with him though was so animated. It made him feel like he was missing out a part of something – just like the way she had toured the guests around the hotel recently.

"Wait," she said. "Where are you staying? Oh. Yeah. We'll try going to the city later." She paused and Neji smirked as he saw her eyes wide in panic. Tenten turned to him and rolled her eyes at him and opened her mouth to say something.

But she stopped. And then she smiled.

"Of _course_ Naruto!" she said loudly. "I have somewhere to stay! A _friend…_" She looked pointedly at him. "… Of mine is willing to let me stay at his _hotel_."

Neji started. Pardon?

_Now_ it was his business.

"Ok, Naruto! Bye!" Tenten hung up cheerfully and put the cell phone in her pocket. She looked surprise at the look Neji was giving her. "What?" she asked obliviously.

He growled. "If you think that's going to happen you-"

"You can't just go back on your word!" Tenten butted in.

"What word?" the Hyuuga hissed angrily. "I didn't-"

"Of course you did!" she said incredulously. "I even have Naruto as proof." She sighed and gave him the look of pure disappointment. "Why Neji, you shouldn't lie like that." She jumped up and walked jauntily to the door. "In fact, I'll save you the trouble and get the secretary to get me a room anyway."

"… Excuse me?"

The door clicked behind her.

His eyes narrowed.

* * *

**RING.**

The prodigy picked up the phone. "What?" he snapped.

The lady cleared her throat. "Err… Hyuuga-sir, the girl-" A voice peeped up from the background. "It's Tenten!" The desk assistant immediately corrected herself. "I mean… _Tenten_ is here again. We have no rooms available. She says that you allowed her to stay-"

"Yes I did." He hung up quickly, massaging his brow. He's never been this frustrated in his life. To think it all started with a cell phone charger. It was ridiculous!

"So?" Tenten asked with excitement. "What did he say?" The desk assistant just shrugged, which Tenten took as an unsure 'yes.' They didn't really have any rooms available because of the guests... So maybe she could...

* * *

"Wow," Tenten muttered, awed. "I was only asking for a room, but a-a _house_-"

"Mr. Hyuuga asks that you only stay there for tonight and tomorrow – and those days _only_," the desk assistant said, bowing her head. "I don't know how you did it, but he's most stingy to-"

"Yeah," Tenten said, cutting in. "It was pretty obvious from the beginning."

The assistant bid her farewell and went back to the hotel once more. Tenten pushed open the heavy iron gates and stepped inside. She made her way up the dusty, dirt road to the white bungalow perched at the top of a small hill.

She had stood at the front lawn for a moment, drinking in all of its features. The outside theme was painted with a white and light, but bright, red as a color scheme. The doors, window frames, and the roof were painted in red, whilst everything else was either white or a light tanned brown. Plants and vines were all over the place bordering the house.

Satisfied with the outcome of her endeavors, she opened the door and stepped inside.

Her hands ran over the smooth polished furniture. She looked at the fireplace mantelpiece with interest. It was dotted with candles. And she was going to use these… when?

Shrugging, she decided that she would explore the other rooms later. Meanwhile, she had to buy the plane tickets for her and Naruto to go to the city area of Korea.

They would probably have less chance running into them if they went over to the city. Plus, there was a friend over there that was willing to take them in for the time being. She would go first, Naruto coming later. She laughed, remembering their recent conversation. Too bad he'd get stuck with packing. Too bad…

Tenten had stayed in the house for days, and had grown attached to it even more. Her dreams were filled of the house being occupied by Naruto, herself, and her father. Her newfound dream was this house, and by all means, when she becomes rich, she'll buy it from him!

But alas, her dreams were short lived. They say when you're having fun, time passes quickly.

* * *

And it was the day when she was… _forced_ to move out of the most beautiful place she's ever lived in her entire life. Literally.

She could've stayed – in fact, she _would've_ stayed, if not Hyuuga Neji drove up to the door and saw her out _himself_. Her eyes pleaded with another day in this beautiful house, but he ignored her, forcing her to get in his car so that he could diver her out of the property.

"One more day?"

"Hn."

"Another night?"

"Hn."

"Five more minutes?"

"Hn."

"A minute!"

"NO."

It was a highly depressing moment of her life, and she was wondering if she would ever walk inside the house again. It was a ruse anyway. She huffed at the thought. She had remembered speaking to the Chinese guests before…

**Flashback**

"So you are doing a business partnership with the Hyuugas?_" Tenten asked as she walked beside the leading representative._

"Yes_," he had answered. "_The Hyuugas are very good in business. Partnering with them will surely make our own company rise."_ Tenten nodded, following his words._

_Then she spotted a house in the hotel property. She pointed to it curiously. "_Is that where you're currently staying with your colleagues?_"_

_The man shook his head and laughed. _"Heavens, no. It's strange, even to us. Mr. Hyuuga still keeps it in the property, although no one ever lives there. No one has lived in it for awhile now – ever since it was built._" The man paused and tapped his chin thoughtfully. _

"From what I heard, he checks it rarely. Every three, five years or so?_" The man laughed with the others. "_The man is very good at business, for one so young. He has inherited the business from his Uncle, I hear._"_

"I see…_" Tenten said, ignoring the last two sentences. _What kind of idiot keeps something that he doesn't even use? He might as well sell it!

**End.**

"Why do you keep the house here?" Tenten asked him. He dropped her off at the front of the house near the closed gates. "No one ever uses it. I'll even buy-"

"I keep it because I don't know what to do with it," he answered brusquely. He smirked. "And if you think about buying it, forget it because I know you don't have enough."

She riled up. "Why you-"

"I hope this is the last time you bother me," the Hyuuga said, eyeing her warily. Bumping into you is making me wary." He rolled up the windows and sped away.

"Yeah, well GOOD RIDDANCE TO YOU!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs.

Waiting until the car had turned to the right, she slowly crept her way back to the gate… to find it chained. Her eyes narrowed as she shook the chains angrily. "Damn!" she seethed.

However, noticing the pattern of the gates, she laughed. Bringing her right foot up first, she placed it onto the first wrung of the gate and began to climb it.

What? You didn't think she was going to give up that easily, did you?

* * *

She opened the door of the house once again and laughed at the Hyuuga's stupidity. "Not even locking the doors – now _that_ is the sign for big ego!" She went immediately to the kitchen and sat down in one of the chairs around the table.

Whipping out a pocket calculator she carried with her everywhere, she started with the sum of money she needed. Then taking out the white envelope filled with her latest payment, she calculated the amount of money she would need to get to pay for their tickets.

She punched in the numbers and then wrote it on a piece of paper, all the while mumbling to herself. Taking the paper, she smiled smugly to herself and tucked it in her pocket. Then she went to work on how much labor she would have to do to pay back the debt.

She clicked in the numbers.

The numbers flashed in the margin.

Tenten's eyes widened.

"WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

Printed clearly on the screen were 15.6. That was… 16 years doing mediocre work (it was the only thing she _could_ do besides touring)! And she hadn't even put in the sums for her tax deductions yet!

"No!" she cried as her head hit the table in defeat. "No, no, no, no!"

Her head whipped up unexpectedly. She breathed heavily. "Calm down, Tenten," she told herself, hastily brushing strands that hung loose from her bun. "Calm down… All you need is some fresh air. Yeah… that's it! Fresh… AIR."

Tenten went into the backyard for the first time. She gasped at the grove of orange trees that grew in it – covering the whole lawn.

"Wow," she muttered to herself in amazement. "No wonder he doesn't want to sell the house…"

She quickly went down and inspected the oranges, tearing one down and peeling it open. She took one of them and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes widened and she smiled at the sudden sweetness that burst through her taste buds.

"Mmm!" she cried as she quickly devoured the rest. She discarded the peels on the ground as she went deeper into the grooves. "One could make tons of money just by selling these!" she shouted as she picked a few for her to eat later…

Then stopped.

She took a look at the orange trees around her again.

The oranges turned to dollar signs.

_Money…_

* * *

**A/N. **Ah. This was kinda shaky. (. .); Wow. I'll try to make longer chapters since… some of you seem to enjoy that, judging by reviews. The next chapter might come a little later. Just a heads up.

Either way, thanks for all the reviews. They really motivate me. And advertisements for Tenten's **"fluff"** are always good. XD (_ninjafrogofHNM_).  
**Neji and Tenten's age **(_Princess of Stroms_) is about 17-19. Elaborate if you don't think that's a suitable age.

**Thanks to those who read and reviewed. Or just read.**

_Matahari_  
_ninjafrogofHNM_  
_Spetiane  
Ice Phnix_  
_Icha Icha DRagon Wolf_  
_Shadow – Ninja – Fay_  
_Princess of Stroms_  
_Mitsu – Hoshi0326_


	8. selling and gaining!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and is in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

Tenten went into the backyard for the first time. She gasped at the grove of orange trees that grew in it – covering the whole lawn.

"Wow," she muttered to herself in amazement. "No wonder he doesn't want to sell the house…"

She quickly went down and inspected the oranges, tearing one down and peeling it open. She took one of them and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes widened and she smiled at the sudden sweetness that burst through her taste buds.

"Mmm!" she cried as she quickly devoured the rest. She discarded the peels on the ground as she went deeper into the grooves. "One could make tons of money just by selling these!" she shouted as she picked a few for herself to eat later.

Then stopped.

She took a look at the orange trees around her again.

The oranges turned to dollar signs.

_Money…_

Tenten quickly worked her way down the groves, picking up as many oranges she could carry so far. She made her way back to the house to drop of the current load, and then went back into the groves again to pick even more, all the while having the "_Money, Money, Money! _**(7)**" song playing over and over in her head.

* * *

"Oranges!" Tenten cried, standing at a wooden stand near the most visited highway. "Oranges for sale!" She jauntily smiled as she saw a car pull up. Out came 3 people, willing to buy 3 bags each.

Tenten sighed happily to herself as she quickly counted the dollar bills. Soon, even more people came over and bought even more.

As soon as all the oranges were depleted, Tenten returned to the house once more (climbing over the fence again), and calculated her savings. At this rate, she'll have enough money by Wednesday to buy a ticket for Naruto, and enough by Friday to buy a ticket for herself as well.

* * *

Neji walked into his Uncle's house. He hadn't been here for awhile. He always chose to stay in hotels instead of coming back home.

Gai turned up first at the door in front of Neji. His face was grim – not bearing that usually hyper active smile that he has been annoyed with for months (years). In his hand was the newspaper from this week's.

"Neji," he said gravely. "What is this? Do you-"

He was interrupted by Lee, however, who popped out of nowhere cried, "ZOMG! IT'S SAKURA!" He quickly dashed over to Gai's shoulder and peered down at the paper and tried to rip it from him. "LET ME SEE THE ARTICLE! I MUST SEE HOW KOREA'S BLOOMING-"

Gai quickly whacked him on the head with the paper. "Lee! Enough!" He quickly pulled the young buy by his ear and whispered (loudly), "Don't you… remember?"

"What?" Gai sighed and callously whispered into his ears. Lee's eyes grew wide as Gai progressed, saying words such as "Sakura" and "Neji" and "couple" and "she dumped him."

Neji, meanwhile, was too busy rolling his eyes at the sight of them – knowing that they were talking about _him_. "Get up. You two look ridiculous," he spat out.

Lee was the first to spring up with, "YES! I understand!" He turned to Neji. "How could you let such a beautiful young flower slip through-"

Neji's eyes flashed dangerously and he punched the boy making him land with a loud CRASH on the floor. Gai's eyes widened in mortification. "LEEEEEEEEE!"

"I'm going to my room," Neji stated dispassionately. "Don't bother me." And with that, he stomped up the stairs.

"LEE!" Gai had forgotten what he was going to say to the young master, for he quickly went to Lee's aid. "Oh Lee!" he cried. "Are you alright?!"

"Gai-sensei… **(8)**" Lee coughed loudly.

"Oh Lee! I know how much you attracted to Miss Haruno, but remember – don't go fraternizing with the enemy!" Gai's eyes immediately widened as he just remembered that he forgot to say those same words to the ravaged man upstairs.

* * *

The night had come, with Neji staying in his room for most of the day. In reality he was actually pretty hungry (just devouring a Granola bar). However, he refused to come down and deal with those "meddling green hooligans."

However, Asuma **(9) **("one of the sane ones") had managed to coax him from his tempered (and definitely unprepared) flight to his room, and into the dining room for dinner.

Around the table was Kurenai; an aspiring painter and cook Uchiha Mikoto **(10)**; the mother of Neji's close friend – Sasuke, Gai, Lee, and also his cousin (and personal secretary) Hinata. Neji had already resolved by the time he came downstairs that he was going to eat enough to sustain him for the night, and then retreat to his room… again.

The dinner that night was mostly quiet. Until Hinata had spoken, "Father is…" She looked at the grave face of Kurenai for her approval. The woman gave a quick nod. "The paper…" Hinata tried again, but failed. Kurenai sighed, but continued from where she left off.

"Don't look for her, Neji," she told him severely. "The master's condition got even worse – even fatal." Neji continued eating in silence. Kurenai's eyes narrowed at his reaction.

"We need you to be with us – to watch over him. Finish your business at the island… and then come back," she continued. "If Sakura comes looking for you, we won't accept her in. You know this?"

Hinata came in - her voice faint. "Cut off… all ties with her, Brother," she said. "We don't want you to get hurt… again-"

Neji dropped his fork down and got up abruptly from the table – finished with his meal. "I didn't get hurt last time," he stated. He went back up the stairs. Moments later, a door closing shut was heard.

Mikoto looked at Kurenai pointedly and shook her head. "He's in denial. It's really a shame that he turned out to be this way." Kurenai snorted at her silent rival and also close friend. They were always comparing who was better – Neji or Sasuke.

"I wonder where _your_ son is, Mikoto. Probably getting another girl in Australia or Paris." She smiled smugly as she didn't hear a response.

* * *

The next day, Neji had worked in his company office to the bone. He had visited his Uncle earlier that day, and was frustrated to find out that his Uncle's status had worsened and had become fatal. To add things to that, he had to return to the island once again for his occasional checkup on the hotel property grounds.

"B-Brother…" Hinata began hesitantly.

"What is it?" he said as he read another case file for his Uncle's missing niece.

"You know…" she started. "H-How Father's case has worsened…?"

"Yes," he muttered. "I know." He closed the first file and put it to the side of his desk. "The only thing that can save him now is the appearance of his niece…" He hit his fist harshly against the desk. "And that's one thing we don't have!"

Hinata hung her head low in despair, but then her eyes sparked with an idea. She looked at him. "What if… What if we get a temporary replacement?"

"… What?"

* * *

"Another day of selling!" Tenten chirped happily as she set up her stand once again. Beside her were even more additions – orange juice and some orange marmalade. Earlier that day, during her daily picking, she had found some inspiration…

**Flashback**

"_Ne…" Tenten mumbled to herself as she navigated through the groves again. "I shouldn't really pick so much… you can sort of tell." She bent down to see if there were fresh ones at the bottom. "From now on, I'll have to pick them more discreetly."_

_However, her attention was caught upon the few oranges that littered the ground. Sighing, she picked one up. "What am I going to do with these?" she asked aloud to herself. "They're such a waste if they're on the ground…"_

_Her eyes brightened as she received an idea. Then she smiled as she held it up at eye-level._

"_They shouldn't be too bad if they're made into orange juice…"_

**End.**

And so, the idea evolved into orange juice. Then orange marmalade. Because they were in so much better use that way.

Soon, she became busy rolling oranges into bags and also serving cups of orange juice to visitors. Alas, a tour bus came into view of the greatly populated stands and parked up to the side of the road nearby. Out of the bus came Naruto.

As soon as all the visitors had gone, he walked up to Tenten. "HIYA TENTEN!"

Startled, Tenten turned around in a kung fu stance; however, seeing it was Naruto, she quickly went back to her normal pose. "Oh! Naruto!" she cried out happily. She gave him a quick pat on the shoulder, and then dug through her pockets.

At long last, she found the item and held it out to him. "Here's your ticket."

Naruto gasped out in surprise. "You actually got one?!" He gave her a look of interest. "How?" Tenten rolled her eyes at his stupidity and gestured to the orange stand. "The oranges?!" he yelled. "How did you manage to get all of these?"

At this, Tenten sighed a bit. "Well… I… They…" She huffed in frustration. "They're really not mine. I kinda-"

The boy's eyes widened in realization. "YOU STOLE THEM? OMIGOSH, YOU _ACTUALLY _STOLE THE- grmpf!" Tenten had covered his mouth with one hand.

"Not so loud you dimwit!" she shouted. The blonde shook his head in alarm.

"Tenten! You can't just steal oranges!" he yelled as she released her hand on his mouth. He took a grasp of the handmade wooden stand and began to pull. "That's it, we're taking these back RIGHT NOW. We can't have you ending up in jai-!"

"No way!" Tenten cried as she took the other side and began to pull. "There's no way I'm taking these back! I need these to buy the other- ACK!"

The stand crumpled apart, sending the majority oranges onto the street.

* * *

Hyuuga Neji was once again on the road heading for the hotel once more.

**Ffft… **He heard a shift of documents and frowned as a few – most – all of them fluttered to the ground with the movement of the car.

Grumbling in anger, he bent down, with one hand still on the wheel to grab the fallen documents…

* * *

Tenten had stood there for a moment, in pure shock. Then, hearing the speeding of a car, she snapped her head up and began to run toward the middle of the street. "Stop!" she cried. "Stop!"

"Tenten!" Naruto shouted and he pulled her back to the safety of the sidelines.

Her eyes widened in horror as the car's wheels smashed through practically _all_ of the oranges. Instead of crying out in despair, Tenten started to run after the car.

"Hey!" she huffed. "HEY YOU!"

* * *

Neji got up again and placed the documents more securely. Glancing in his side mirror, he glared. _Her again?!_

He stopped the car. Tenten rushed up him and banged on the window. A muffled "Open up!" could be heard. Rolling his eyes inwardly, the Hyuuga rolled the window down.

"What?" he asked acidly.

Meanwhile, Tenten froze. It's… HIM! The guy who owns the house! _Why does everyone have to have one-sided windows?! s_he thought to herself angrily.

Neji raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" he demanded again.

"What… huh?" Tenten snapped from her thoughts. Realizing who she was standing in front of, she composed herself and laughed nervously. "Eh… heh… It.. It's nothing!" she said cheerfully. Nothing at all!" Noticing the weird look he was giving her, she continued, "I just wanted to say… hi! That's all! Just a nice hi!"

The man stared at her for awhile longer, and then peeked his head out of the window. There, he saw oranges that were practically demolished onto the paved road and… a… boy yelling (cursing) at him.

He took his attention to the tires and grimaced inwardly at the orange pulp that was found around it. "Why didn't you tell me that I ran over your oranges?" Neji asked her.

Tenten nearly broke down when he said "your oranges." Augh! If he only knew!

"No, no!" she cried out hastily. "It's no problem." _Really._

Neji just sighed. "Your stupidity is overwhelming. If someone destroys something, you expect them to pay you back." He opened his wallet and smacked five 50 dollars **(11)** into her hand. "Here."

Something inside her bit Tenten with guilt. She would normally take the bills and go, but something persuaded her to object (which she has never done before). "No," she said again. "I'm serious. Take these back. It's ok. I don't care."

"I'm serious too. Just take it."

"No. Just… HERE!" she cried handing back all of the money through the window.

He huffed and handed the money back to her. He roughly took her hands and pried her fingers opened to place the bills in it. He slowly closed her fingers around it. "Take it already," he said angrily.

Tenten prided on herself not to blush when he took her hands like that. She pocketed the bills. Grunting in satisfaction, the Hyuuga began to roll up the windows. He had a feeling she couldn't resist the smell of money-

"Wait!" the girl shouted. She began to dash back to the stand. "Just stay right there!"

Neji gave her an inquiring look, but did what she told him.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tenten scooped as many oranges as she could that were still off the ground, and inserted them into two plastic bags. Naruto watched her with his mouth hanging. "Tenten!" he shouted. "What are you-"

"Just shut it, Naruto!" she cried as she made her way back to the car.

* * *

She hefted the bags into the surprised arms of the man. "Here."

The Hyuuga stared at the oranges for a moment, not knowing what to say. "Uh… Thanks," he managed to finally splutter.

Tenten laughed lightly. "I never knew someone like you would ever say that!" Neji glared at her – daring her for another squabble. "Gee, I was just kidding." She shook her head and grinned at him. "Drive safely, ok? Don't kill yourself!"

"Hn." Neji sped away, thinking about his encounter with her… again. It was strange seeing her all over the place, yet strangely… comforting. And amusing. He couldn't decide on what it was.

Either way, he would have to rethink his opinion on her. The actions that Tenten had taken earlier were beyond his impression on her. Giving him the oranges was definitely not a "Tenten" thing to do. The Tenten he had imagined would've sneered and chewed him off about how he should watch where he was driving and demand payment.

He watched from his side mirror that she was still waving good-bye to him. Yes. He would have to rethink again.

* * *

Tenten finally dropped her arm in exhaustion from waving so long until the car was out of sight. The grin that was on her face was replaced with one of disappointment as she stalked back to the wooden stand.

"Tenten!" Naruto greeted her with whirlwinds of chastising. "What the hell do you think you were doing?! Giving him a pack of oranges, why that's the-"

"Please, Naruto," Tenten said, butting in. "Just stop it already."

"I won't! Do you have an infatuation with that creep or something because that's what I'm-"

"THAT'S NOT IT, NARUTO?!" Tenten grabbed him by the shoulders and began to shake him violently. "DON'T YOU KNOW WHO HE _IS_?! I'M LUCKY HE DIDN'T ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE I GOT THESE!"

"Eh…?" Naruto asked. "What the hell are you talking about-GAH" She had begun to shake him again with every word she spoke.

"**HE'S**" shake "**THE**" shake "**OWNER**" shake "OF" shake "**THOSE**" shake "**ORANGES!!!**" Three shakes to end the whole sentence.

Naruto quickly pried himself away from Tenten, staggering backwards, before she started her rampaging shaking again. "You mean, **_HE'S_** the one that you stole the oranges from?!"

She quickly nodded, Naruto grunting with an "Oh boy." Tenten snapped her head up and looked him straight in the eye. "Naruto! You go over to the city first, ok?"

"What?!"

"You have to use your plane ticket so that he doesn't make me exchange it back for the rest of the money that was gained from the oranges!" She blubbered out the whole thing in one extremely long sentence.

Oh.

* * *

Neji entered the hotel through the revolving doors.

A man that had been standing quietly next to the translator quickly appeared at his side in a flash. "Hyuuga-sir," he greeted, bowing with respect. Neji nodded his head in acknowledgement.

He eyed the Chinese guests with interest. "I trust… everything is fine over here?"

The man nodded. "The translator is as good as the other one from last week. The guests aren't responding much to his whims, but… well, you can't have everything."

Neji nodded his head. "Yes…" he mumbled. His thoughts went back to the girl again. Where _had_ she gotten those oranges?

* * *

Later that day, Tenten went back to clipping off more oranges. She gently placed them in a wooden basket carrier that was placed near her feet. She paused, wiping her brow with her shirt. This was exhausting work, but it was worth it. She already had enough to pay for her own ticket, but Iruka and Kakashi's dept was too apparent to ignore.

Her mind went back to the events that had happened hours ago. Perhaps the Hyuuga wasn't so bad after all. He still had insulted her, but it wasn't as harsh as yesterday. She snorted to herself. He had definitely shown his more _polite_ side by repaying for the broken oranges. She nodded her head in silent agreement with her conscious.

_He's not such a bad guy after all…_

* * *

Neji clicked open the gates of the house. It was to be his last stop before he made his way back to the city – permanently.

He opened the door of the clean bungalow and was satisfied to see it clean so far. He went over to the kitchen and… his eyes narrowed.

He saw orange peels littered over the ground – a white blender perched on the kitchen counter with a few orange pulp in it.

Was this some kind of sick joke?

He crept throughout the house, frowning at rumpled bed sheets and small bread crumbs of fresh baked toast. At long last, he went out into the orange grove. He moved silently through the branches, careful to watch where he stepped (lest he stepped on an orange).

Neji's eyes narrowed as he saw a figure clipping off a few oranges. Who was that? He crept closer.

* * *

"There!" Tenten said happily to herself as she placed one last orange in the basket. "That should do for now!" She smiled to herself as she placed the clippers down into the basket.

"What are you doing here?!"

Tenten's eyes widened. **_NEJI?!?!?!?!?!_ **Without giving it a second thought, she immediately broke into a run through the orange trees.

"Why you-" Neji began, but he started to chase after her. "COME BACK HERE!"

Tenten kept on running all the while cursing to herself out loud in Chinese. This was definitely not her day. And she had just started to think he was a gentleman. Now having him chase her and wanting to beat her into a pulp changed all that. Drastically.

She kept on running dodging random branches. Then she stopped. She was at the end of the property. She was standing on the edge of a stone wall, but she jumped off anyway. It's a lot better than being caught by him – that's for sure.

Landing on her feet, she felt a pain surge through her ankle. She suspected that she had twisted it, and so, she hobbled as fast as she could away from the crazed man.

However, Tenten soon realized that she couldn't run any farther, and was forced to do another course of action in order to loose the prodigy. She blinked as she saw a handkerchief jutting out from one of her pockets. She pulled it up and stared at it with a frown on her face.

It was a desperate move, and not guaranteed to work, but it was the only thing she had right now.

Neji, not being an idiot, chose the much more safer route off the property – through the gate. He slammed the gate shut as he jogged in the direction he was _sure_ she went off in, but stopped scanning the area. And sighed.

Until he saw a beautiful long, brown haired girl jogging down the street with a bandana (or was it a handkerchief?) tied to her head. As she got closer, he frowned.

Scratch what he had said before.

"Tenten," he said. "I'm not stupid."

The girl looked at him with an eyebrow raised as she jogged in place in front of him. "Tenten? Tenten? Nope. Never heard a Tenten before. Nice day out for jogging though, isn't it? I think I'll go and jog some more!"

She began to speed away until Neji grabbed her arm and pulled her back in front of him.

"Tenten," he said again. "I'm not stupid," he repeated.

The girl, Tenten, sighed in defeat.

* * *

"…" Neji finished counting the money and put it down on the table in thick bill wads. "Is this it?"

Tenten quickly nodded, her head hung low.

The Hyuuga rolled his eyes. "I'm going to get a drink," he said. "Don't think about taking any money because I'll be counting them. AGAIN." He walked away into the kitchen next door.

She sighed once he left the room. It was tense being around him, but she had gradually begun getting used to it. In fact, he reacted to the situation pretty well. She had expected him to go totally OOC (out of character) on her once he had found out, but all he asked for was the money.

And of course he did this with his Stage 4 glare.

So, she had emptied out her pockets of her savings. But she grinned to herself. She used a double-edged lie – a common technique. Of course, not to the Hyuuga.

The trick is, to not tell _all _of the truth.

Sure, that was all the money she had from _just_ the oranges. But what about everything else?

She sighed anyway. _HE'S BOUND TO FIND OUT SOONER OR LATER!_

* * *

Neji went into the kitchen, unfazed by the orange peels. To think that he had started to think she was a pretty good person. She was "semi-honest," but she was also a "semi-liar" as well. This girl never failed to surprise him. Literally.

Taking a glass cup from the cabinets, he placed it on a nearby counter while he went and opened the fridge.

To find that he was fazed once again. Or surprised… again.

Inside were rows and rows of… orange marmalade? He wondered where she had gotten all the jars. To the left of him on the opened door, were jars and jars of orange juice. He snorted. This girl really had a hobby, didn't she?

A yellow post-it note on a jar of marmalade caught his attention. He took the jar and inspected it, closing the refrigerator door – forgetting about the drink he was supposed to be getting.

* * *

_Neji -_

_You're still the most stingiest and meanest dude on earth, but I'm really sorry for using your oranges like that! I sorta need it for… personal reasons. Heh. I can tell you don't believe me anyways._

_Either way, please take all of the orange marmalade in the fridge (go get the bread yourself)_

* * *

Neji tried to suppress a chuckle at this.

* * *

_and also all of the orange juice in there as well. Please take them as an apology and excuse this event as simply helping the poor. Remember:_

_IT WOULDN'T KILL YOU TO SMILE._

_- Tenten_

* * *

Neji took the note and put it in his pocket and brought the jar with him to the living room. Tenten who was sitting there with her face in her hands quickly snapped up, and continued looking downwards.

"What is this?" he asked. He thrust the jar under her eyes. She looked up at it.

_Damn._ "Uh… it's just… Wait." Tenten gave him a weird look. "You don't know what orange marmalade is?" Neji rolled his eyes.

"I'm saying, where's the money you got from selling these?" He thought and then added, "The orange juice too." Tenten sighed. _Right._

She stood up and then took out the plastic case full of her business cards. Going to the fifth – to – last card, she propped it up and slid out five 20 dollar bills. She gave them to him. Neji arched his eyebrow at this. **(12)**

Then she went over to a drawer near the couch and took out a set of playing cards. Slowly, she pulled out twelve 10 dollar bills from between a few stack of cards and handed those to Neji. Shoving the playing cards back into the box and putting the box back into the drawer, she went over to the phone. Neji followed.

Taking out two phone books, she flipped page, after page, after page – stopping to take out money each time. It seemed that she was the only one who knew what she was doing. In the end of her "page flipping," she gave him ten 50 dollar bills. She handed him those.

Then she bent down and lifted up her pants. She lifted open one sock she was wearing and slid out even more money. She did the same to the other one. Taking those, she slapped them into Neji's palm.

"There. That's it," she stated as she got up from her knees.

"Interesting…" he mumbled, referring to her hiding places.

"Hey!" she shouted. "Those are special hiding places and if I find that you told someone I'll personally jab a knife down your throat!"

Neji rolled his eyes as he counted the money. However, a white piece of paper slipped out from between the bills. Tenten's eyes widened as she made a dash for it before he even reacted. She crumpled it into her hands.

His eyes narrowed. Thinking it was money, he demanded, "Give it, Tenten." She shook her head rapidly back and forth. His eyes narrowed even more. "Tenten," he warned. Still she shook her head.

At once he took her hand before she could escape and snatched it away. "Why you-" she began. "You'd better not rip it or-"

Neji's eyes eyebrow went up. "Plane tickets?" _So this is what she meant by "personal."_

"Yes, plane tickets," Tenten seethed. "And you better not throw that away since it took me awhile to calculate the sums _and_-" She stopped and winced, applying too much pressure on her left ankle. She slumped down and began rubbing it.

Neji had a worried expression, but shook his head. "Is your ankle really hurt?" he asked.

Tenten rolled her eyes at him. "Are you stupid?

He glared as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Well you were jogging in place before. Who says that you are hurt right now?"

She snorted. "If I wasn't hurt, I would've run as fast as I could have before _away_ from you." Neji thought for a moment, drinking it in. Then he nodded in approval. It did seem somewhat logical…

Making a decision, he looked over at Tenten. "Let's go."

"What?!" she asked. "Where?!"

"The doctor's."

* * *

Neji dropped her off at the hospital, but didn't follow her inside.

He looked pointedly at her and sighed. "Go and get your ankle healed. And don't try to do anything like this again._ Ever_." Tenten looked down from shame. "Right."

He sped away.

Tenten looked at the doors of the hospital with sad eyes. "Did he really think I have the money to go and get my ankle healed?" She looked at where the car had gone. "He's an honorable man, but he's not as smart as he think he is."

Sighing, she made her way to the nearest drug store to get a quick and large band-aid to heal her ankle.

* * *

**(7)** This song usually plays in the opening scene of the show _The Apprentice_. Either way, it's an extremely catchy song. :D  
**(8)** I'm aware of the "sensei" part being Japanese. However, nothing in Korean could really replace it, so I'll just leave it as it is.  
**(9)** Ah yes. Refer back to Chapter 3 to see yet another connection. :)  
**(10) **I cannot recall if this is the real name of Sasuke's mother. If I have made a mistake, just add it in a review.  
**(11) **I will be using reference to American money since… well, this story is in English. XD  
**(12) **This was all made up by me. No, I don't know if they're really effective hiding places. D:

* * *

**A/N.** Ah. This story is slow progressing. _-bows-_ My apologies. This chapter was quite long since I wanted to sorta speed it up more in just one long chapter thing. XD My bad. There's also an overdose of extra notes in here. My bad again.

**Thanks to those who read and reviewed. Or just read.**

_Matahari_  
_Spetiane  
Shadow – Ninja - Fay_  
_Icha Icha DRagon Wolf_  
_Pyro – Momo_  
_Mitsu – Hoshi0326_  
_Ice Phnix_


	9. translating? op II

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and is in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

Neji dropped her off at the hospital, but didn't follow her inside.

He looked pointedly at her and sighed. "Go and get your ankle healed. And don't try to do anything like this again._ Ever_." Tenten looked down from shame. "Right."

He sped away.

Tenten looked at the doors of the hospital with sad eyes. "Did he really think I have the money to go and get my ankle healed?" She looked at where the car had gone. "He's an honorable man, but he's not as smart as he think he is."

Sighing, she made her way to the nearest drug store to get a quick and large band-aid to heal her ankle.

* * *

"Are you excited to return to Korea?" An orange haired pig-tailed girl was sipping delightfully from her glass of water. She turned to the girl beside her and noticed her pensive state. "… Sakura?"

The girl said just shrugged and chuckled to herself. "I really…" she began. "I-I just don't know, Moegi." The small girl beside her sighed.

"You're not… still thinking about him, are you?"

Sakura shrugged again.

Moegi shook her head. "You can't afford to do any relationships now! There's another tournament coming up. We'll be practicing all day. You can't-" The tennis player stopped her rambling with her mere hand.

"I get it, Moegi. I get it."

* * *

Unbeknownst to them, another pair was on the run, flustered from their latest "escape."

A dark-haired boy was panting loudly. Both he and his advisor had just rushed onto the plane, hoping to escape the bulky man "Eduardo."

The advisor turned to him, trying to adjust the awkward pose his sunglasses took when they had fled for the airport. "Sasuke-sir," the man began. "What were you thinking?! You said that you came for busine-"

The man named Sasuke smirked, flapping the collar of his shirt a bit. "Please," he said. "You know how bad work is for me. Neji only gave me that job so I could be 'useful,'" he made air quotes "but…" He turned to the advisor. "You know how it is."

The man was not convinced. "But still," he said. "Conversing with woman again. You know how your mother would react! Gosh, we almost got killed by her boyfriend! You ought to find a girl to settle down with and-"

Sasuke snorted. "Enough."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, you can deal with Mrs. Uchiha." He sweat dropped a bit. "I'm not getting in her way once we return home."

"I prefer... A nice vacation first." Sasuke then mumbled something else that was out of the earshot of his partner. In honest, he was not that willing to return home. Especially to deal with his mother.

"Oh? And what will you tell your mother once she finds out… again?"

He gave him a rare smile. "France was nice this time of year."

* * *

**Slap.**

Tenten crudely stuck the gigantic band-aid onto her ankle. She took the wrappings and crinkled it in her hands. Seeing the trash can before her, she threw the wad of trash, making it land straight into the canister. Ah… The gift of good aim. How everyone wishes that.

She was inside one of those small general stores that are kind of shabby, but still good. Stores that sold junk food and other random necessities. She swerved the green stool she was sitting on, so that she was facing the counter table.

Sighing to herself in satisfaction, she clicked open her chopsticks and began to stir the noodles in the ramen cup around. It was the only thing she was able to afford with what little pocket money she had (money that was _not_ gained from selling oranges).

Nonetheless, it was a god meal that even she was lucky to get. And plus, the store was a good heating source. It looked so chilly outside from the window. She stuffed a big heap of noodles into her mouth and began to slurp.

* * *

**RING.**

Neji had been on his way to the hotel again, when his cell phone had rung once more. Rolling his eyes again, he pressed the button. The voice line went to the earphone in his… well… ear.

"Yes?" he asked dryly. "What is it?"

On the other line, a man was twiddling his fingers over the hotel phone's extension cord. "Hyuuga-sir," he began nervously, "The guests… They're a bit… uncomfortable…"

Neji furrowed his eyebrows. Uncomfortable? With what? They were perfectly fine this morning with the new translator. What had happened here? In a disbelieving tone, he asked, "What?"

"Well…" The man hesitated a bit. "I-It's to be… expected…"

"Expected?" the Hyuuga repeated dumbly. "Expected."

"Well… Last week they…" the man had begun to stammer. "They… you… They seemed to be…" He sighed – even at his own incompetence. "They say that they and I quote: 'Miss the other girl because she was so nice and all this one talks about is how fancy his shoes are and-'"

"Hn." Neji butted in with a word. He was tired of receiving disappointing calls from this man. He hung up immediately.

His mind went straight to Tenten. Was she that popular with everyone? Even he had found himself get somewhat attracted to her own humor and her (ridiculous) survival skills. He shook his head at that thought and swerved his car to head back to the hospital.

* * *

Neji's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean she's not on your list?"

The nurse shook her head with an awkward glance at the Hyuuga. "I'm sorry. A 'Tenten' isn't on our list. Did you escort her inside?" He furrowed his brow. No, he did not.

"I see," he mumbled, and bowed his head in a small thanks. He left the hospital, his face in a worried expression. Perhaps he should've escorted her inside… He frowned again. Or maybe she was lying about hurting her ankle?

He kept on driving, rushing past a convenience store on the way.

The car screeched as he came to a stop.

He then drove backwards.

He saw someone in the window.

* * *

**BEEP!**

Startled, Tenten looked up from her cup of ramen, and saw a silver car. Slowly, the window rolled down revealing…

_**NEJI?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!**_

The mound of noodles that was in Tenten's gaping mouth slid out back into the cup with a PLOP! Neji grimaced at this with some partial disgust. Noticing this, she just smiled kindly at him in embarrassment and reached over to get a napkin to wipe her mouth.

But got a band-aid instead.

Neji grimaced even more. Tenten realized what she was holding, and became even more embarassed.

* * *

"Look," Tenten said, her hands clasped together in a desperate prayer for forgiveness. "I'm _really_ sorry about the oranges! I can't afford to end up in-"

Neji stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

Tenten looked back at him. "You mean you're not taking me to jail?!" Neji snorted at her ridiculous imagination. At last, he decided not to beat around the bush, and give her the real reason he's come here.

"The money…" he started. Tenten butted in with, "What about the money?"

He glared at her for interrupting, but continued none the less. "Would you like to get it all back?" Tenten's eyes widened.

"What the-" She stopped. She was going to say "Are you crazy?" next, but she changed her motive. "Can you…" she began, choosing words carefully. "Can you _seriously_ do that?"

He shrugged.

Her eyes shone in happiness. "FOR FREE?!?!?!?!" she screeched.

Neji stared her down. "No."

Tenten composed herself. "Oh."

"You will be working for it." Tenten's face collapsed. _Crap…_

"I hate work."

* * *

"_Hello again!_" she cried out cheerfully to the Chinese. The guests that were standing around, doing nothing, broke into a smile.

"_Oh! Hello again!_"

"_Nice to see you once more!_"

"_Our paths cross again!_"

They all bowed to her in greeting, and she did the same, her smile branded on her face. She quickly turned to Neji. "Now what?" she hissed over at him. "What the heck am I supposed to do with them?!"

"Tour them around the island," he said simply.

Tenten grumbled her disappointment. She couldn't even count how many times she had been around the island with the other tour groups from her old job. She said the same things over and over again, and did the same things over and over again. It was nerve-racking to the extreme.

"Joy," she said (sarcastically).

* * *

"_And from here_," Tenten told her audience. "_You can see the beautiful mountain ranges from the other island at the other side!_" She shifted a bit, uncomfortable from all the attention she was getting from the tourists everywhere.

However, her attention turned back to the Chinese guests, who wanted to take a picture with her… AGAIN. She groaned. She had to do this over and over again in her own job. She put on a fake smile as she walked over to them.

_Just smile Tenten! _she told herself furiously. _You've done this a million times – one shouldn't make any difference! _But it had, and she found herself being relieved once her job was done.

That was until her stomach twisted.

* * *

Sasuke surveyed the area. It was just a small island off the coast of Korea, yet there were a lot of things to see and do over here. He drove his sleek blue corvette over to the sea-side to get a better look over at the city.

It would be a lot better than returning to his mom. He cringed inwardly, thinking of what she would do. He snorted. His advisor would slip up the news sometime, and then he'll get the three hour lecture that came tied up in the package.

He sighed.

_Great. Just great._

* * *

DEBT COLLECTORS was obviously the first thing that popped into Tenten's mind. It was bad – mortifying – to see them again. Her eyes narrowed. A tour bus had pulled up next to their black car.

Oh great. Naruto was here to screw things up again. Perfect. _Just _what she needed.

Once he got out of the bus, Tenten made frantic motions to him. Such as the "pointing to mouth" motion, the "shake head with hands moving back and forth" motion, and the "right hand slicing the neck" motion. The message was clear:

_Talk and you're dead._

Naruto, fortunately, noticed these signs of trouble and quickly looked away. He spotted the collectors himself, and hastily hopped into the bus and drove away. His original plan was to say good-bye to Tenten first before leaving for the city, but he thinks (and hopes) that she'll be alive to see him again anyways.

Tenten swiftly hunched over and wrapped her scarf about her head. She dove into a pack of Japanese tourists that were walking up the stone steps to the sea-side view. She greeted them with a pleasant smile, despite what she was feeling inside. "_Ohayo! How are you today? Isn't the sea so nice?_"

The man quickly responded with a "yes," and they engaged in a colorful conversation, comparing and contrasting Japan and Korea together. "_Well,_" Tenten began. "_I think that Korea has more of the natural highlights, whereas Japan-_" She stopped.

They were right behind her.

The man looked confused; wondering why she had stopped. "_You were saying?_"

"Oh, uh…" Tenten shook her head. "_I'm sorry_," she said to the man. "_I-I have some business that I need to attend to. It was nice meeting you and, well… so long!_"

She quickly dashed out of the group, still holding the scarf around her head until a man grabbed her arm. She snapped around. _OH SHIT!_

The man holding her arm shouted to the others, "I FOUND HER!" All at once, she was surrounded by men in black. She looked around frantically, searching for a way out, but found none. There was only one way…

"_GET OFF OF ME_!" Tenten shouted angrily, still in Japanese. She snapped her right fist back, about to deliver a punch to the man's face, when someone else beat her to it.

* * *

Sasuke, at first, was admiring the calm ocean waves of the island. It was a marvelous view – one you couldn't get in the city. It was a shame that the island was so secluded from everything else.

A shout came from a group of tourists up front. Sasuke snapped his head in that direction, and quickly dashed on over. There, he saw a girl in the middle of a ring of men. One was clutching her left arm.

Seeing that she was being ganged up upon, he did the only logical thing to do. He jumped in and started bashing their faces.

* * *

Tenten glanced at the person in surprise. _What the- How did he get here?!_

She didn't say anything as she watched him make a flying kick to the other man. All at once, the debt collectors tightened the circle around them, attacking the mysterious man with everything they had. In a few moments, however, he had cleared half the circle of goons.

Quickly grabbing her hand, he shouted, "Come on!" Tenten had begun to protest – that he had defeated practically all of them, and to tell him her thanks. However, she turned around and her eyes grew wide.

Even more were coming up the stairs! She really had to figure out how they were finding her all over the place.

Seriously.

* * *

Sasuke dragged the tourist girl from the pack of wild men that were following her. He didn't even question as to why they were following her in the first place, but it was an unwritten code that if you randomly gang up on someone, that's called a beating.

And, well, you can't just leave a pedestrian to suffer.

So he grabbed her arm before she could argue and dashed over to his car. He quickly opened the car door and shoved her inside, rushing over to the front to the other side to get in. Just as the men were about to climb onto it, he pressed the gas pedal and the car sped away.

Realizing that they couldn't possibly catch them on foot, the men quickly got into their own black cars and chased after them.

* * *

Tenten, meanwhile, was on the verge of screaming. But screaming was a girly thing to do, so she tried to restrain herself from doing so.

Of course, she was also occupied with… _other_ things. Like how the car was so new and shiny with that "fresh car smell." She saw the man press a button near the stereo, and gasped as a roof over them slowly locked into place.

The man smirked at her amazed expression, but frowned as he saw two black cars going at full speed ahead were coming after them. "Damn," he muttered to himself, and he pressed on the gas pedal even harder.

Tenten lurched back at the unexpected increase of speed. "GAH!" she cried as they nearly collided into a honking truck, entering into the wrong lane of the road. She turned to the man next to her with wide eyes. "ARE YOU INSANE?!" she shrieked in Korean. "ARE YOU _TRYING_ TO GET US ALL KILLED?!"

The man was equally surprised. "You can speak Korean?" he asked in a confused expression.

"Of course I can what do you- _LOOK OUT_!" she sputtered as they nearly collided into a red van next to them.

The man swerved out of the way just in time and stared at her. "I thought you were a tourist," he admitted. "That's why I tried to-"

"You mean you _wouldn't_ have saved me if I wasn't a tourist?" she asked bewildered.

"Hn."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "Please don't do that," she groaned. "I get that enough from somebody else."

* * *

Sasuke smirked again. Her sarcasm could be especially amusing. He swerved past another car, attempting to lose the other ones that were chasing him.

At last, the girl spoke again. "You know, just dodging cars won't lose them," she muttered.

"The least you could do is, like, do one of those awesome flips that causes the cars to crash into each other and then **BOOM** and stuff." Tenten could've just stopped right there, but she didn't.

"And then flames come shooting out of no where! **BOOM**! The ignition tank goes **BOOM** and then the cars go **BOOM** and then the highway is broken up… **BOOM**." She thought for a moment and her eyes narrowed at the string of sentences she just said.

She's been watching too many action movies lately. She hit the car window again as he swerved right.

"You've been watching too many action movies lately."

Her face collapsed. Speak of the devil. She opened her mouth to say something, but was quickly "shut up" by the leering of the car going to the right. Sasuke smiled as he came up with a new means of escape.

Being the proud, egotistic boy he is, he turned to the girl next to him and says, "Watch this." She looked at him, perplexity written on her face. "What the hell are you- ACK!"

Taking the car, he sped forward with as much agility as he can, the other two cars following him, just as fast. She leaned back even more with the gaining speed, but then at the last minute, he leaned the car on one side and turned, surprising both parties.

The other two black cars collided with each other as they tried to attempt the same feat as him. However, they lost the girl **_again_**, because of luck. Pure luck. The men cursed loudly as they watched the car speed away.

* * *

Neji hunched over his work… again. He was aware of his lack of social life, but running the business was important for himself and his family. Even this he couldn't deny. The last time he attempted a social life… well…

He didn't like to talk about it.

**RING.**

Neji picked up the phone again, and heard Hinata's voice on the other line, mixed with other voices in the background. "B-Brother," she began. "Father is… He's…" A frustrated sigh came from a woman beside her that he could define as Kurenai.

He heard the fumbling of hands, meaning that the cell phone was being passed along.

"What she's… trying to say," Kurenai mended. "Is that… Master's condition-"

"What is it?" he demanded impassively. It was exhausting for him to hear them beating around the bush like so.

Another fumble. Asuma's voice could be heard. "His condition has gone for the worst."

His eyes narrowed. "The worst," he repeated dumbly. "What do you mean?"

At this Asuma choked. He heard many fumbles. Hinata's voice came up. "He means… Father is… he's-" Another fumble.

"MASTER SHALL LOSE HIS POWER OF YOUTH!" Gai's voice boomed onto the phone. Another fumble. "IN A MATTER OF _DAYS_!" Lee.

Neji panicked inwardly. "What?"

Kurenai picked up the phone at last, her reasonable tone heard: "He's… dying, Neji."

Before anyone could add anything else, Neji had hung up and immediately called the secretary.

"Yes, Mr. Hyuuga?"

"Get me a ticket to the city."

* * *

Tenten faced the sea-side. Her sides still ached from the mystery-man's rough driving, but she supposed it was for a good cause. If it wasn't for him, she'd be caught by them by now. She shuddered, thinking about what could have happened to her if she had.

Her attention went to a pile of stones to the right of her. She heaved a long sigh as she stared at the stones and remembered their reason and their significance.

They were to commemorate a new start. A new beginning. She chuckled sadly to herself, remembering how she, Naruto, and Iruka and piled the stones on their own. They had claimed the land as their own using them.

**Flashback**

"_What the-" Tenten gives the two of them a strange look. "What the hell are you two _doing_?"_

_Iruka is the first to look up, and then gestures over to Naruto – the look in his eyes saying clearly that it was "his idea." Then Naruto comes over carrying another slab of stone. He puts the stone down near Iruka, narrowly missing the man's foot._

"_We're claiming our property, Tenten," he states naturally. "**Duh**."_

_She rolled her eyes at them. "Naruto, unless you have five hundred stones or more, you're not going to cover the whole property. Plus, that's such a ridiculous idea!"_

_Iruka sighs a bit. "She does… have a point."_

"_Ne," Naruto says, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I was only kidding, Tenten."_

_Tenten snorts. "Yeah right, Naruto. I know you. You always do stuff like this." She hands him and Iruka a cup of hot cocoa. "Here. It's cold outside." As if they both noticed their lack of body heat, they both rush up to Tenten to claim their own cups._

_As they are sipping their hot beverages, Tenten takes her first good look at the pile of rocks. The stack was high. A few fallen stones were around it. She smiles to herself, and then, playing along with Naruto for once, she goes up and picks up another slab of rock to add to the stack._

_Naruto looks up. "Ne, Tenten. What are you doing?"_

"_Claiming property," she says. Naruto and Iruka give her a weird look. "Well I bought it after you-" She points an accusing finger at Iruka. "got rid of all of our money again!"_

_Iruka sighs and explains again: "Tenten! I told you that was Kakashi!"_

_She just laughs as she went back to get another stone. Pretty soon, Iruka and Naruto did the same, laughing as if it was a game only they understood how to play._

"_This will be our new land," Tenten tells them. "And we'll be starting off fresh!"_

**End.**

Tenten unconsciously wiped a stray tear that's fallen down on her face. Now Iruka was far away again, and she didn't know how long he'd be away. She didn't know anymore. How long would it take to repay the debt? How long will it be until she sees him again?

Cursing at her stray tears, Tenten quickly got up and walked over to the stack of rocks. And one by one, she took them apart. She chucked them in random directions all across the shore.

And finally, she yelled into the horizon. "I'M TENTEN, AND I'LL BE STRONG! NOTHING CAN STOP ME!"

* * *

Sasuke walked down over to the shore again with two cups of coffee in his hand. He stopped as he saw the girl take apart a stack of stones and flings them everywhere. He heard her shout to the world as loud as she can.

He continued watching in puzzlement, as she went back and picked up all of the stones again. He watched her place them again in the same stack, placing the stones that were around it in the same exact places.

He shook his head in bewilderment.

* * *

Tenten finally collapsed down. Next to her, Sasuke sat down too.

They still don't know each other's names, but they don't really ask anyway.

He turned to her and gives her the cup of coffee. "Thanks," she managed to mumble, and took a sip from it and sighs. He does the same. A moment of silence, and then:

"Do you do that often?"

Tenten turned to Sasuke in surprise. "What?"

He gave her a look. "Get up and scream," he said simply. "Do you do that often?"

She looked out toward the horizon and simply shrugged. "Sometimes… I guess…" Then to keep the conversation going, she asked him the same thing. "Do you?"

"Hn."

"Not really, I'm guessing," she said slowly with an arched eyebrow. She looked at him and grinned. "You look like the type to get drunk when you're depressed!"

Sasuke smirked at her. "Do I?" She rolled her eyes at his smirk and looked surprised at his red, swollen hand. She glanced at him, then back at his hand.

"What did you do?!" she hissed. Sasuke raised an eyebrow – his expression in a dull "what" look. She jabbed at his hand. "What did you do to it?"

He looked down as if he just noticed it there, then shrugged and takes a sip of his coffee. "Guess I hit too hard." Tenten sighed and she takes out a spare band-aid from her pocket – the same type she slapped on her ankle from before.

Taking it out of their wrappers, she quickly slapped it on his hand and pats it down. "There," she said. She handed him the wrappers. "_You_ throw them away." She laughed at his face expression and then takes a sip of her drink. "Thanks, by the way," she quickly added.

"Hn," he said, rubbing his hand over his injured one. "What were you doing over there anyway?"

"Me?" she asked incredulously. She then shrugged. "It was just a job I was hired to do. Nothing special. You see, he said that he'd pay me the rest of the money for these-" Her eyes widened. "**_OH MY GOD_**!" she cried. "I HAVE TO GET MY PAYMENT!"

Sasuke looked at her in puzzlement as she stood straight up and runs up the hill. "Wait! What're you-"

"Thanks for all the help!" she called out to him. "Seriously – I'll buy you dinner one day!"

"What…?" he began, but realized that she's already gone. He gave out a rare smile as he fiddled with the remains of his cup. _Interesting…_

* * *

"_Sorry. You just missed Mr. Hyuuga. He's on his way over to the city right now on the-"_

"_WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"_

Tenten slammed through the airport doors and quickly ran over to Terminal 16. There, she saw Neji just about to board. Putting on an extra surge of speed, she bellowed out, "HEY YOU!"

Neji looked up and sees Tenten. "Now what?" he asked sourly to himself.

She took deep breaths as she stood in front of him. "What (huff) about (huff) my (huff) payment (huff)?!"

He groaned. "Ugh. I'm busy!" he shouted, his frustration pouring out on her. "I've got my own things to do right now."

"Then go do them!" Tenten shouted right back. "Just do it after you give me my- GAH!" Neji had flung all the money at her face. He had so many things to worry about right now. Why does she have to show up?!

She glared hatefully at him. How dare he throw them at her in such a disrespectful manner! She didn't deserve to be talked down like that.

"There!" he spat. "There's your money!"

He began to charge out to the plane, but someone stopped him. Tenten. She glared at him. "Say sorry." Neji's eyes narrowed. "Say it!" Tenten shouted. "OR YOU'LL REGRET IT!" Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted people coming closer to them.

He shrugged out of her grasp and goes to walk out. Her glare intensified on him as she glomped on his leg.

"NO MY LOVE!" she cried out dramatically. _Déjà vu…_ she thought to herself. "Don't leave me again! You can't just leave our only son here, with no protection or…"

The crowd around them thickened as many people came to witness this spectacle. Neji tried desperately now to release her hold on his leg, but she wouldn't break free. He turned to the crowd, addressing them. "She's lying," he said impassively. "I've got nothing to do with her!"

But with some form of miracle, Tenten shed some fake tears and sobbed uncontrollably. "Please dear!" she cried. "Please don't leave my only son- NOOOOOOOO!"

Neji kicked her off of him and stalked down into the plane. Tenten cried even more as people around her help scoop up the fallen money and hand it to her. She bowed and said "Thank you" over and over again. Alas, the people gave her their sympathy, and then returned back to what they were doing before.

However, a large number of them were assigned to the same plane Hyuuga Neji on. Tenten smirked at this.

_That's what you get for messing with me!_

* * *

She walked throughout the airport until someone grabbed hold of her roughly. "ACK!"

She was dragged into a secluded room in the airport. There, she came face to face with a man... that looks like a dog? But there's no doubt that he's wearing black – debt collector.

"What do you want?!" she shouted loudly. The man snorted and turns to another guy next to him who's wearing sunglasses.

"Shino," he began, "What do we do?"

The man, Shino, turned to the man next to him. "Chouji."

A… well… "big-boned" man in front of her looked at her with a little bit of annoyance. "We're just here to get what we came for," he told her nicely. The rest of the debt collectors were right behind him. "I mean… you keep _running_, so…"

"Well of course!" Tenten spat. "I mean, do you seriously expect me to just sit there and let you drain my money?!"

"Well… yeah," Chouji said.

"Ok…" Tenten said, a little bit confused. "Well…" she began, trying to sort this out like a civilized person, "I don't have the money with me right _now_."

A man next to Shino shouted, "SHE'S LYING! I SAY WE BEAT THE-"

"Wait!" the dog – looking man was rummaging through her bag. Tenten managed a "Hey!" before she widened her eyes at what he was holding.

Shino looked at it. "Kiba…" he began. "It's a business card."

Kiba waved it in front of him. "But look at it! It has gold trimmings – wealth! I say we use her as a hostage!" He turned to her. "But if that doesn't work, we can always go to your lover. Of course he'll help you… right?"

"Eh heh…" Tenten laughed nervously. "Of _course_…"

"Where is he?"

"City… area…"

* * *

Neji entered the plane, exhausted by Tenten's actions. She was ridiculous – she really was.

He couldn't help but notice the number of hateful stares he was getting from everyone as he found his seat and sat down. Next to him, an old lady huffed. He looked at her with an expression mixed with annoyance and distaste.

The lady met his glare and growled. "Leaving your lover with her only son!" she shouted. "How cruel!"

Neji's eyes narrowed. "You don't understand. She's-"

A young man that was in front of him turned to look at him. "You're not a man if you just leave your wife like that! You're a wimp!"

Neji growled threateningly. "You've got it all wrong. It's not me, it's-"

All at once, people on the plane started chastising him.

He sighed.

This was going to be a long ride.

* * *

"Look!" Kiba pointed to Neji who was walking down the airport walk with Hinata at his side. He looked at Tenten with seriousness. "Now's your chance!" he hissed at her. "Go!"

"But I-" Tenten sputtered. Kiba butted in with another "GO!" and he shoved her roughly in front of Neji himself. She bumped into him and squeaked. She looked up. The face she met with was not a pretty one by all means.

Neji glared at her. "YOU!"

"Heh…" Tenten smiled weakly. "Hello… again…!"

Neji kept on glaring at her. Through his teeth he growled, 'What. Do. You. WANT?!"

"I-"

"No. Forget it. I don't want to hear it."

"But I-"

"Do you know how much trouble I went through on that plane?!" he seethed. "Do you?!" He was acting OOC right now, and even Hinata was amazed. "I was chastised by old ladies, insulted by hooligans, and mocked by freakishly devised fan girls!" Tenten could've sworn she saw smoke come out of his ears.

"Neji! I-"

"Forget it!" And with that, he stomped angrily away.

* * *

Kiba, Chouji, and Shino came out of their hiding place behind the pole. All of them were surprised – even Shino.

Kiba was the first to speak. "What was that?!" he yelled. He glared at the direction where Neji went off into. "What a cruel human being! Why do you even go after him?!"

Chouji nodded in agreement, and noticed the distressed face of Tenten. "Don't worry," he said, patting her on the back. "We'll go talk to him."

* * *

"B-Brother," Hinata began, "May I ask… Who was-"

"She's no one!" he shouted, still frustrated.

"HEY YOU!" Neji rolled his eyes. _OH NOW WHAT?!_ He turned to the source of the voices and found Tenten running toward him with three men at her heels. Kiba stepped forward first and jabbed Neji in his chest.

"Who do you think you are?!" he shouted. He pointed to Tenten, who had put on her guilty face. "This lady is desperately in love with you and you push her away like you-"

The prodigy sighed for what must've been the 12th time today. "You completely misunderstand. You see-"

"Neji! Please! This is important!" Tenten cried. "The debt-"

"I don't want to hear it," he said, and he shoved Tenten away. She widened her eyes in surprise from the unexpected shove and landed on the floor. Shino and Chouji quickly went over while Kiba still cursed at the Hyuuga, who was now driving away in his sleek black car.

Hinata and Neji were at the hospital, climbing the stairs. Neji was ahead of her by a long shot, clearly concerned about the condition of their head family member. At last, Hinata began, "Brother…"

"What is it?"

"That girl-"

"Please. I don't want to hear anything about her ever again."

"But she looks…" Hinata twiddled with her fingers. "She looks a lot like… like Auntie doesn't she, when she lets her hair down…?"

Neji stopped and turned to look at her. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Well…" She looked down. "Before… Before you were talking about… having a temporary replacement…"

Neji remembered their conversation that had seemed like ages ago:

**Flashback**

"_B-Brother," Hinata began hesitantly._

"_What is it?"_

"_You know…" she started. "H-How Father's c-case has w-worsened?"_

"_Yes," he muttered. "I know." He closed the first file and put it to the side of his desk. "The only thing that can save him now is the appearance of his niece…" He hit his fist harshly on the desk. "And that's one thing we don't have!"_

_Hinata hung her head low in despair, but then her eyes sparked with an idea. She looked at him. "W-What if… W-What if w-we g-get a temporary r-replacement?"_

"_What?"_

**End.**

Neji's eyes widened at the epiphany he had just received.

* * *

**A/N.** Yes, the new chapter is here. So sorry for not updating yesterday, but I released another story thing. It's kinda… mellow.

Yes, I know. It's weird that **Sasuke** is represented as a playboy, and seems a little OOC to me. I know. I'll try to fix it. Later.  
And for some footnote, **Moegi** is not an OC. She's that girl that always hangs around Konohamaru. :) I try to use no OCs. (_edited thanks to Tsukiko Yuki_)

**Thanks to those who read and reviewed. Or just read.**

_Matahari_  
_Ice Pnix  
Shadow – Ninja – Fay_  
_Spetiane_  
_Pyro – Momo_  
_Shikyo Yaiba_  
_iheartyu.xD_  
_LadyKnightofHollyrose_  
_earthlover_  
_copycattacypoc _**– Dude… GINNY?!?!?!?!**


	10. asking for it

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and is in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

"But she looks…" Hinata twiddled with her fingers. "She looks a lot like… like Auntie doesn't she, when she lets her hair down…?"

Neji stopped and turned to look at her. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Well…" She looked down. "Before… Before you were talking about… having a temporary replacement…"

Neji remembers their conversation that had seemed like ages ago:

**Flashback**

"_B-Brother," Hinata began hesitantly._

"_What is it?"_

"_You know…" she started. "H-How Father's c-case has w-worsened?"_

"_Yes," he muttered. "I know." He closed the first file and put it to the side of his desk. "The only thing that can save him now is the appearance of his niece…" He hit his fist harshly on the desk. "And that's one thing we don't have!"_

_Hinata hung her head low in despair, but then her eyes sparked with an idea. She looked at him. "W-What if… W-What if w-we g-get a temporary r-replacement?"_

"_What?"_

**End.**

Neji's eyes widened at the epiphany he had just received.

* * *

Naruto was waiting by the airport. He had hoped that Tenten would've arrived yesterday, but when she didn't, he convinced himself that she would today. Naruto is a very patient person… sort of.

He sat down on the stone steps, thinking about what had happened. He decided to blame their current situation on Kakashi. It was always Kakashi.

"I will bet… $50!" a voice cried.

A sigh came from his friend. "Kakashi, we don't even have that much money."

KAKASHI?!

Naruto dashed down the bottom of the stairs to find Iruka and Kakashi huddled in a group of people, betting on a game of cards. "DAD?!" he shouted in disbelief. Iruka snapped his head toward the source of the voice.

"NARUTO?!"

* * *

Tenten sniffed, making a scene in front of Kiba, Shino, and Chouji. "I… just… can't believe he-" They were already back on the island, right outside of the airport.

"Don't worry," Kiba butted in hurriedly. "We'll go talk to him!" He patted her back. "Don't you worry a thing!" He turned to the other two. "Right?" As if suddenly snapping into the conversation, both of them quickly answered: "Of course!" or "…"

Tenten shrugged and laughed. "No, it's ok. I'll… I'll try to pay you guys back as soon as possible… But…" She frowned. "I have to go back and do some stuff first."

The three, totally befuddled by Tenten's lie, told her that it was alright and she was free to go.

"I feel so bad for her," Chouji sniffed. "AH! UNREQUIETED LOVE! IT'S SO-"

"Ok, you're done," Shino butted in.

Kiba shook his head. "We should still talk to that bastard of a lover. Make him see straight, get some money, and do a good deed." The two gave him a strange look.

"What?"

* * *

"Err… I'd like a ticket to the city area," Tenten told the staff.

The lady was looking at the mound of cash that Tenten had just threw down. She, being the smart one, had counted the cash before hand, planning to buy her ticket right then and there, pack, and then leave for the city as soon as possible to meet up with Naruto.

Noticing the lady's uncomfortable stare at her bounty, she asked with concern, "What's wrong? You don't take cash?"

"Uh… N-No," the lady quickly replied. "I-It's just that… well… you don't really expect to be handed this much money at once." Tenten shrugged.

* * *

"Dad!" Naruto cried, going over to his father.

"Why Naruto!" Kakashi cried out gleefully. "Do you have $50 on you?"

Naruto just shoved him to the side as he sat by Iruka. "Dad," he began with excitement. "What are you doing here? Tenten said that you left for Japan! Why are you still in Korea? What-"

Iruka laughed. "Kakashi and I talked it over. We're not going to run away, and we'll pay back the debt ourselves!" He paused for a moment, and saw that the others were waiting to make their move. He turned back to Naruto.

"Just go on your way, but don't tell Tenten that we're here, ok? Don't tell anyone." Naruto was about to object, but caught the seriousness in his father's voice. Naruto nodded, shaking his head to seal the agreement.

* * *

"SASUKE! THIS IS YOUR MOTHER SPEAKING! IF YOU DON'T COME BACK HOME THIS INSTANT! I'LL-"

Sasuke shut the phone off and grumbled. His mother always had to leave such threatening messages. However, taking his advisor's suggestion for once, he decided to buy a ticket anyway.

He'd have to face her some time.

* * *

As soon as she received the ticket, she got on the bus and went back to her old house to pack some of her things. There was nothing much except clothes, trinkets, and the pocket knife that was already in her pocket. Yes, it was for self-defense. No, it wasn't for murder.

She handed her ticket to the woman and entered the plane. She sighed. It was rare that she even got on these contraptions – there just wasn't enough money.

But even with all the money from selling the oranges / translating for Neji, she knew that she still didn't have enough to bay back the debt. She sighed and thought of all the possible jobs she could get out in the city.

She frowned, thinking of the most obvious and common one. _Waitress… Serving… Not that great in any of those, but it's worth a shot. Naruto's gonna get a job as well, so I'll have double the effort!_

"FIGHTING!" she suddenly screeched out in determination. The men next to her stared at Tenten with a "WTF?" look on his face.

* * *

As the plane finally landed, Tenten stepped through the gates. Carrying with her what little bags she had. She looked around, quickly searching for the nearest exit.

Until she felt another person's presence behind her. She looked back and saw a man in sunglasses… She took a glance at him for a moment and then moved faster. The man moved at the same rate.

_IS HE FOLLOWING ME?!_

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke had just gotten out of the plane. Going through the gates, he saw a familiar face. She was carrying only two bags with her, one in her left hand and another that was rolling behind her.

_The girl from yesterday!_

He went to catch up to her, and maybe go and indulge in some friendly conversation like before. He followed her, but frowned when she began to walk even faster. Did she know he was behind her?

"Hey!" he called out. He ran over to her but before he could touch her, she threw a punch at him, which he caught with one hand. "Hey!"

"QUIT FOLLOWING ME YOU-"

"Wait." He took off his sunglasses and gave her a weird look. "It's me… remember? The guy who saved your ass from yesterday."

"Realization swept over the girl's features as she slowly took her hand back. "Oh!" she cried. "I'm sorry…" Sasuke smirked at her, but then frowned at what she said next. "Wait a minute, I'm not!" she cried out. "Do you just stalk people like that?!"

"Hn. I-" He stopped.

"What?" Tenten asked, confused. "What's wrong with- HEY!" Providing no explanation, Sasuke took hold of her arm and dashed behind a large pillar. She shrugged out of his grasp and hissed, "What?!"

Sasuke just held a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet. He leaned back against the pole and saw a group of men, who he recognized to be his mother's advisors. All of a sudden he didn't feel like going back anymore, not after bumping into her again like this.

Tenten stared at him and recognized the way he looked. Nervous breaths, sweaty palms – she had that look on a lot. Breaking the silence, she asked, "Are they after you?"

Sasuke just simply nodded. He was thinking about waiting for the first guy to turn around, then he and the girl could break to the front and then-

"Why don't you go ahead? I'll distract them," Tenten said hurriedly. She rolled her eyes at the look he was giving her. "There's like, one… three… Five people in that group," she explained. "One's bound to spot you if we move out into the open."

"Hn…" he began, "But… "

"Just go ahead," she told him hastily. "You saved me once before, remember? Time for me to repay the favor."

Before he could protest, Tenten went off from behind the pillar, dragging her luggage with her over to the group of men. He saw her talk jauntily with the men, proving to be a good distraction. He watched her for a moment, and then left.

* * *

Tenten rushed over to them, accidentally bumping into one of them. She apologized to them and then made small talk about the next flight over to Hong Kong. She then went on to describe how great their sesame buns were and that they "ought to try them when they get the chance" someday.

"They're really good and delicious! It'll get you all bloated in no time! It's cheap too!"

Seeing a figure move from the corner of her eye, she secretly wondered why the hell it took so long for him to move. Jeez… She said a quick good-bye to the group, and dashed after the man.

* * *

Tenten looked around the street, searching for him. At last she collapsed near the side of the road in front of a transport bus, and snorted. "The least he could do was say-"

"HEY!" Startled, she snapped her head up and gaped. It was him!

"Y-You!" she shouted. "Where the hell have you been? Do you know how embarrassed I was just standing there talking about dump-" Sasuke gave her a light smile as he wrote something on his hand.

Tenten peered up at him in confusion. "What are you doing? You're going to get ink poisoning if you keep-" The man shoved the band-aid that was on his hand into hers. On it was his name and cell phone number. She looked at it with her brows furrowed. "What am I supposed to do with this?" Her voice went to louder octaves, as she sought to make herself heard from the bus's engines that had just started.

"Call me! You still owe me dinner!" And with that, the bus sped off.

Tenten grumped at him. There was something about him that told her that he was a playboy, but she ignored it for now. Taking the band-aid she slapped it on the luggage she was carrying on her back, and made her way to the central shopping area of the city.

_Uchiha Sasuke… _she thought. _What a strange guy._

* * *

"How is he?" Neji asked the doctor. Hinata was by his side. The doctor was the same one that had served the Hyuuga family for awhile now. They had thought it best to hire him to diagnose Hiashi's sickness.

He could see through the plastic surrounding wall in the room that everyone was devastated. Kurenai was stroking Hiashi's hand with Asuma patting her shoulder. Gai and Lee were just sitting on the couch in a daze without saying anything, which was… And this he hated to admit: was annoying him more than they did when they were talking.

The doctor removed his glasses for a moment to rub his eyes, but Neji could tell that he was just stalling. He waited patiently until the doctor put on his glasses at last and tapped his clipboard. "The statistics aren't very good," he told him somberly. "Last week, his case went down in a medium portion after seeing… the… _paper_." Neji ignored the way he emphasized the word.

"But now," the doctor continued. "his statistic has gone down a big chunk. He could die any moment, unfortunately. The percentage of him recovering from this – even recovering in years – is not high."

Neji paled a bit and opened his mouth to say something, but Hinata came in, chewing her lip. "W-What do you recommend we... do for him?"

The doctor shook his head. "If you're wondering about how you can make him survive, then there is nothing. He came into this situation himself after finding about his deceased sister. Now I don't think there's anything that can bring him back out again."

"Is there… nothing?" he asked. He knew the answer, but it was inevitable. They couldn't find the niece before…

The man gave both of them a look with pity and understanding. "Make him comfortable, tell him a story. Make him focus more on happier times before he passes."

The doctor left, leaving a bewildered Neji.

That was **not** the answer he had wanted to hear.

He walked over to his Uncle and heard his rasp breathing. He could hear the same name he was repeating over and over again: "Kita," he moaned inaudibly. "Kita…"

Neji did not need to be told that this was the name of the niece.

He needed to find Tenten.

* * *

She stopped at the store she was looking for, and saw that it was closed for the day. Dashing across the street, she opened the door, pleased to hear the tinkling of the bells.

A blonde haired girl snapped around, her pony-tail following her. "We're closed for the day, moron!" she shouted. "What - don't know how to read?! Can't you see the sign?!"

Tenten walked around the divider that separated the door and grinned. "Ino! I see that you're greeting old friends as always." She shook her head as she laughed.

Ino's eyes widened and she dropped the broom she was using to sweep up the hair in the parlor. "Tenten!" she cried out eagerly. "What are you doing here? Are you here to get a hair cut? You know I _do_ make discounts, but only if you have cash-"

"Slow down Ino!" Tenten interrupted. She showed the girl her bags. Ino's blue eyes glazed over briefly with understanding. She quickly took Tenten's arm and pulled her closer. "You'd better tell me what's going on in the apartment! All of a sudden Shikamaru opens the door and Naru-"

"Jeez," Tenten sighed. "Relax. Anyways, you're closed for the day. Let's go over now." Ino snorted, but didn't object as she grabbed her coat.

* * *

"First," Ino explained as she pulled out the key to her apartment. "We ought to find you a job. Naruto has already found one as a ramen waiter… well… since he gets free discounts every time he eats over there. But for you-"

Tenten interrupted her with a yawn. "Gee, Ino. Can't we decide this after my beauty sleep?" She cracked her neck to the left, and smirked as Ino cringed. "Where do I sleep?"

"Upstairs, first on your left." She hung up her coat and then walked over to a man who was sleeping on the couch in front of the TV. "SHIKAMARU!" she shrieked. Tenten rolled her eyes and chuckled as she saw the two argue with each other.

"What do you want…?"

"UGH! Honestly Shikamaru! Can't you even turn the TV off before you fall asleep?!" She took up a wad of mail that she had picked up before coming into the apartment, and slapped him over the head with them. "See this?! BILLS. ELECTRICITY BILLS! If you're going to just sit there and waste a crap load of electricity, then YOU pay the-"

She stopped and frowned. He had dozed off again.

The last thing Tenten heard before retreating up the stairs was a loud, "SHIKAMARU!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

* * *

Tenten quickly shut the door behind her and began unpacking most of her things. She shook her head at the two's childish fighting – it would keep her awake for hours at night.

Naruto came in, pulling the door open. "Tenten!" he cried cheerfully, sliding next to her. "What are you doing?"

Tenten gestured to the bed she was currently setting up. "What do you think?" she asked, then sighed. "Ino tells me you got a job. How much do you get paid for it?" Naruto gave her a confused look.

"Huh?" he asked. "Why?"

She held up a pocket calculator from her bag. "Gotta calculate the sums… If you know what I mean."

* * *

"Mom…" Sasuke muttered. "I'm… home."

"SASUKE!" Mikoto cried as she hugged him. Sasuke twitched. He disliked physical contact.

"Did you hear?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the urgent tone of her voice. "Hear what?"

She slowly stepped away from him. "Neji… He did… He did not tell you?"

"…"

"Come," she told him. "We're going to the hospital."

* * *

"Hum…" Tenten began, staring at the calculator. Shikamaru, Ino, and Naruto were around her, staring at the digital numbers in the calculator. It had taken awhile for her to find the proper equation, for Shikamaru kept butting in with, "Where the hell did you get the six from? Troublesome…"

Anyways, all four of them stared at the result.

"At least we reduced the number," Tenten stated, trying to be optimistic.

Ino stared at her in puzzlement. "You mean… you did it before?"

Naruto snorted as he looked at the blonde. "Of course she did it. You wouldn't believe how often she takes out that calculator of hers."

Shikamaru, was for once, slightly interested. "What did it say last time?"

Tenten coughed. "It said… Well… About 16 years," she admitted. "And I didn't even put in the tax calculations in it yet, making the outcome a lot less-"

"Wait," Shikamaru interrupted. "How come it says only 10 years (Tenten winced) now? Where did you get the extra money?" Tenten opened her mouth to say the answer, but stopped herself.

"It doesn't matter," she said, staring the calculator down. "What matters is, is that I have to get a job that rings in even more dough in order to reduce it."

Ino thought for a moment. "Maybe if Shikamaru and I pitched in with some-"

"No, Ino!" Tenten cried out, horrified. "I couldn't ask you to do that!" She swerved around to look at them. "Seriously, Naruto and I can handle this. It's enough that you guys are willing to let us stay here until we've paid the debt."

Ino sniffed as she turned around, knowing that no matter what, she would lose the argument. "Fine," she huffed as she stomped back toward the stove. "I have a friend who can recommend you for a waitress job." She looked at Tenten, knowing she would be peeved by this. She was right. "It'll only be until you can find a better one – one that you enjoy doing yourself!" she explained.

Tenten nodded. Fair enough.

Naruto, meanwhile, was scrutinizing his face at the rice Ino put down. "Are you sure you don't have any cups of ramen lying around?" He picks up a lump with a spoon. "You burnt the rice!" he exclaimed.

Shikamaru kicks him in the shins. Ino can be dangerous when she's mad.

* * *

"What are you doing Miz Tenten?!"

The girl said just rolled her eyes at the sound of her boss's voice. She'll just scream at Ino later. She continued pouring a cup of coffee for the next customer, ignoring her boss's comments. Jeez… She could be such a bi-

"MIZ TENTEN!" the woman screeched again. "CAN'T YOU SEE THERE'S A LIABLE CUSTOMER WAITING AT-"

"ALRIGHT, I GET IT!" Tenten bellowed back venomously.

* * *

Neji had been walking around in the city, sneaking away from work when Hinata's back was turned for a brief moment. He frowned at the predicament he was in, also mentally scolding himself for shoving Tenten away. He sighed, looking up into the sky.

This was getting to be annoying.

A cold wind blew, and he shoved his hands in his pockets. He had forgotten that winter was going to begin soon, and that he had chose to wear his lighter coat today. He decided to stop to get a cup of coffee to warm his hands. Most of the coffee shops were closed, since it was nighttime, but he finally came upon one that was opened.

He stepped into the shop, and the manager noticed him. She had cried out in a sultry voice, "_Oh_ Mr. Hyuuga! How pleasant to see you again!" He rolled his eyes at this. He knew he should've just walked back home.

"MIZ TENTEN!" the woman cried out loudly.

Neji did a double-take. TENTEN?!

* * *

Kurenai sat in front of her blank canvas and growled.

She just couldn't paint.

She had all of the paint bottles set up, ready to get started, but… She had no idea of what she wanted to do.

She cursed herself. It was enough that she always had to compete with that widow, Mikoto, but now this! Her eyes saddened. She couldn't paint for awhile now, ever since Hiashi had gotten sick, but she wouldn't admit that. Not even to herself.

She sought out a scapegoat to put her blame her current situation, and she found it. Or heard it. Whatever.

Outside, soft, but loud music was playing. Grouching to herself, Kurenai got up and went to the door that led to the backyard outside. She ripped it open and then slammed it shut as she stomped up the wooden stairs.

She saw Asuma painting a newly finished wood furniture that he had finished carving. She scoffed as she goes over and yells, "TURN IT DOWN ASUMA! PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY TRYING TO CREATE ART."

Asuma just stares at her. And stares. "This is not art?" he asks incredulously.

Kurenai just rolls her eyes. "All you do is carve a hunk of wood," she grumbled. "How is that art?" She coughed. "And stop that smoking! It's bad for you!"

Asuma rolls his eyes this time, ignoring the latter. "This is _my_ kind of art," he explains. He gets up and then turns the music off. The lawn is dead quiet except for the rustling of the trees and the birds chirping.

"There," he scoffs. "Happy?"

"Yes," she agrees, and she goes back down and slams the door shut. Asuma chuckles at her as he resumes painting.

Kurenai sat down. Then frowned.

She still can't paint.

* * *

"Neji…" Tenten mumbled, a bit frustrated… and also a bit embarrassed. She can already feel him taking in her baggy, oversized uniform. She twitched as he opens his mouth, knowing that an insult will pop out.

However, none does.

"Tenten," he said slowly. _Almost with respect_, Tenten thought. "Can I… talk to you?"

She rolled her eyes and was about to retort something, but remembered that they're in public with everyone's eyes on her. She glanced up at the clock, and grinned as she saw that her shift was over. She nodded her head towards Neji, and they both exited the shop.

* * *

"So?" Tenten asked, tapping her foot impatiently. 'What is it?" They were at the park nearest to Ino's apartment. They had walked silently the whole way. Tenten didn't even have the sarcasm to make small talk.

"Tenten," Neji began slowly. "I need you… to be my cousin." Tenten's eyes widened and she almost choked on thin air.

"What?!" she cried out loud. "What for?"

"I… Well…" he stammered, searching for the right words. He frowned inwardly at what he was doing. Hyuugas don't stammer! "You have to agree to do it first," he said, trying to compromise. "Before I tell you."

Tenten scoffed. "Right, Neji. I'll just agree to do whatever you ask me to do." She rolled her eyes as she begins walking away. "Good bye, Neji." Before she can walk one step, Neji grabbed her wrist and pulls her to face him again.

"HEY! WHAT THE-" She began to struggle in his grasp.

"My Uncle is dying," he explained quickly. Tenten stopped moving. "His dying wish is to see his missing niece." He could tell that he's getting to her by her pensive face. "Would you allow a man to die like that without-"

"No," she said automatically. She threw her wrist out of his grasp. "I won't do it."

Neji was taken aback. "What?" he demanded. "Why not?"

She didn't answer and stared at the ground, not making eye contact. He scoffed at her. "Is it so hard for you to lie? You lie all the time!" he accused. "What's wrong with-"

"What's wrong with you?!" she butted in rapidly. "Huh?! Why not get your own cousin to do it?" She began to walk back, but he grabbed hold of her again.

"I'm… We're not sure where she is," he said. "She may be dead or worse… But that's why you must-"

"So you're just going to lie to your Uncle like that?" Tenten asked him seriously as she turned to face him. Neji was speechless, baffled by what she just said. She shook her head at him.

"I lie when I'm desperate, Neji," she explained. "But I would _never_ lie to my own family." She stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to say something else, but he didn't. She tried to shrug out of his grip, but he holds it even tighter.

"Tenten," he said. She could hear the desperation in his voice. "Please. Just this favor… Please."

Tenten looked at him with pity and sad understanding. "Neji," she says. "I won't do it." She pried her wrist off from his grasp and began to walk away. "I have my own problems right now. I have-"

"Tenten," Neji's voice comes in, this time urgent.

She looks at him for which she hopes will be the last time. "What?" He doesn't reply for a moment, and she can tell that he's just trying to buy some time. "Neji, just tell him the truth, ok? I really have to leave." Tenten turned around and walked forward.

"I'll pay you."

She stopped.

* * *

**A/N.** Eh. This chapter was a little iffy. Don't be surprised if you see it all screwed up and such. -_bows-_ My apologies. Eh heh... Wow. Well, there's no more dodging behind the bush now. :)

**Thanks to those who read and reviewed. Or just read.**

_Shadow – Ninja – Fay_  
_Shikyo Yaiba_  
_Ice Phnix_  
_Shinko666_  
_Spetiane_  
_Matahari_  
_WeaponsMistress_  
_2756_  
_iheartyu.xD_  
_Hatake Megumi_  
_saishenoyama_  
_Tsukiko Yuki_ **_–_** **Thank you for the correction of Moegi's name. :) Ch. 9 has been updated.** (ah! sorry for confusion! D:)


	11. return to yesterday

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and is in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

Tenten looked at him with pity and sad understanding. "Neji," she said. "I won't do it." She pried her wrist off from his grasp and began to walk away. "I have my own problems right now. I have-"

"Tenten." Neji's voice comes in, this time urgent.

She looked at him for which she hopes will be the last time. "What?" He doesn't reply for a moment, and she can tell that he's just trying to buy some time. "Neji, just tell him the truth, ok? I really have to leave." Tenten turned around and walked forward.

"I'll pay you."

She stopped.

* * *

Ino opened the door to Tenten's room, hoping to find her reading… or sleeping. She had just gotten home from her job in the hair salon, and was expecting the other female to be here by now.

"Ugh," she growled, frustrated. Her face turned into a worried expression. "Where is she? I hope she hasn't gotten fired already…"

The blonde walked over to Tenten's shoulder bag and opened it to see if there was anything else she needed to unpack. Seeing nothing, she shrugged, but stopped as a rather large band-aid caught her eye. She arched an eyebrow with curiosity.

"What's this?" Ino took a brief glance at it, and then shrugged again as she dumped it into the trashcan near the door. "Why would Tenten carry an old band-aid around with her?" she asked – mostly to herself.

* * *

"What?" she asked. Confusion was written on her face with a frown. She really didn't want to have anything to do with him… Really. But he was tempting her like this… She knew. She also cursed herself for making her weakness seem so obvious.

Neji sighed, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll… pay… you," he repeated, more slowly this time. "I'll pay you. Anything you want. As _much_ as you want. Just… do this for me."

Tenten bit her lip. Something in her mind was telling her to run away and not deal with this man, while the other one was coaxing her into helping him. He had seemed desperate the moment before and it had just seemed… _Wrong_ to push him away like that. She thought about her own policy for lying… if she _did_ accept the job.

**She reasoned with herself:** It wasn't like his Uncle was _her_ Uncle or anything, right? It wasn't like she was _really_ Neji's cousin or even _really_ part of his family, right? So it wouldn't matter if she lied to him – _them_, right?

_Wrong_, her mind told her. _Wrong_. She took a look at him and was surprised at the patience she saw with him. _He must really want this_, she thought. _He must really care for his Uncle – his family_. She shook her head mentally. It didn't matter if _he_ wanted it or not. It mattered if _she_ wanted it.

Did she?

"I…" she began. She shook her head determinedly. "I won't do it." Guilt struck her as she thought about the way he had reacted beforehand. It didn't seem fair that she had given him such a mediocre answer, but then again, it wasn't fair that he had come to her at such a crucial moment and given her such a cheap way out.

So it had surprised her once again when he regained his posture. "Fine," he agreed slowly. "Take this." He handed her another business card – an address that led to the main corporation. He backed away, preparing to leave. She watched him as he did, thinking if she had done the right thing.

He stopped for the last time. "Tenten," he said. "I'm counting on you. Just… think it over again."

Her brows furrowed, but she nods, thinking that she should at least give him this much. She watched him as he walks out of sight.

* * *

"What took you so long?!" Ino's voice was shrill with worry. Naruto was probably sleeping upstairs or something, but Shikamaru… well… Shikamaru was already sleeping on the kitchen counter.

Tenten shrugged, doing her best not to put something in Ino's big mouth of hers. "It's nothing I just…" She stopped, debating whether to tell them or not. She wondered if Neji would approve if she said anything.

_Why am I thinking this?_ She thought to herself angrily. _I didn't even accept the job yet! _But her mind still couldn't shake off Neji's act of desperation. It bugged her. She really needed a shower.

Ino furrowed her brow at the sudden cut off at Tenten's sentence. "You just…" she prompted acidly. Tenten still didn't answer, lost in her own thoughts. "YOU JUST WHAT?!" she shrieked, determined to make her answer. Tenten was never dazed like this. Something had happened and she wanted to know.

Tenten just shook her head, as if clearing off a stray thought. "It's nothing Ino," she replied. "The boss was just making me stay longer than usual!" She winced at her lie. "I'm seriously thinking about quitting you know!"

Her friend noticed the sudden change of topic, but chose not to pursue it. Ino just put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "You can't quit now!" she protested eagerly. "You know Iruka, Kakashi, and Naruto are counting on you, right?"

Tenten's eyes widened at what Ino had just said. Her thoughts lead back to the offer Neji gave her. So many people were counting on her. She wished that they would just leave her alone for once, but she frowned at that.

She looked out the window. _Mid autumn,_ she thought. Winter would be coming. She shivered slightly as she thought of how Iruka and Kakashi were faring. She wondered if other debt collectors had caught up to them and if they were in jail.

She had to help them. _She had to help **him**_, she thought bitterly. There was something about the job that made her think that she was going to be in trouble. That she was _getting_ into trouble.

"I know," she said softly. "I know."

* * *

In truth, Hyuuga Neji had felt guilty when he had asked her to do such a favor for him. He sighed as he massaged his temples. Stress had built up. He was thinking to much.

He doesn't turn on the TV, knowing that he will see Sakura's face on it again. He sighed. It had been three years since she had left him to pursue his career. Yes, Hyuuga Neji was dumped. And if you had thought you were so good as to _not_ get dumped, well… The aftermath can really stick with you.

**Flashback.**

_She had held up the necklace that he had just given her. She held it up so that it shone in the bright light of the restaurant. A key._

"_Neji," she began. "I wonder… What does this key unlock?"_

_He gave her a warm smile and he held her hand. "A key to my heart," he told her._

_She smiled and she placed her hand over his. "I wonder… If I can ever unlock that one day…?" Neji had wanted to say that she had already did, but he was afraid to ruin the moment. Her smile and her green eyes._

**End.**

A knock on his door had startled him from his thoughts. Neji looked up from his work to see Uchiha Sasuke standing there. His eyes widened. "You didn't tell me when you got back," he muttered. He then smirked. "I could've found you some work for you to do."

Sasuke shrugged casually. "Just got back, really. And no to the work." He looked pointedly at Neji. "I don't think you would've hired me anyways if mom hadn't made you."

Neji shrugged also and he eyed the racket in his hand. "You want to play?" he asked stoically.

* * *

They had both played each other frequently in racquetball. Both of them were highly competitive. Either of them had won equal amount of times, but it was an exhausting sport – especially if you played it long enough.

So it wasn't a surprise that they had collapsed against the wall, exhausted, sweating in their sport clothing. Neji looked over at Sasuke, heavily breathing. "You…" he began. "Weren't really into it, I see…"

Sasuke smirked as he too also breathed heavily. He looked at Neji. "Yeah… I just… I just met someone."

He raised an eyebrow. "A girl, most likely."

"Yeah," Sasuke replied. He gave off a rare smile. "She can be a bit cocky, but she can… She can be fun to be around with."

"Hn." The Hyuuga didn't know what to say, really. He had considered saying what he always had when Sasuke bought a girl into the picture: that he only wanted to get into the girl's pants and then dump her two days later.

But the way he talked about the girl made him wonder.

* * *

"I'm sorry, but… Well… The earthquake destroyed many things." The old woman nodded to the picture. "Nearly… nearly half of these people have died from it," she continued. She stared back into the girl's white eyes. "I'm… sorry, but… She might… She might be…"

Hinata's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. The niece… was she dead? She shook her head mentally, not trying to think about it. But was… was she really? And her Father… he would surely…

"T-Thank you," Hinata replied shakily, bowing her head in thanks. She gave the old woman a sad smile. "It… It must be hard to talk about this again." She bowed once more. "I apologize for this inconvenience."

The woman shook her head. "No… It's quite alright… But then again… I'm not too sure…" She gave a wistful sigh. "I only know a few people who are alive today that survived the earthquake." She turned to Hinata and gave her a small smile. "I'm so sorry I couldn't have done more…"

Hinata shook her head and held back her tears for her Father. "It's… It's ok."

* * *

Tenten got up. She washed her hair and put on her regular clothes. She slipped her cell phone into her pocket. She took her sweatshirt and her scarf, and then marched out the door. It was early, and Tenten needed to think.

She walked out of the apartment at the earliest time she had ever woken up at. I won't say that she doesn't wake up anything before eleven o'clock in the morning, because (sadly) that is too broad. I won't say that she woke up before eight o'clock in the morning, because that can also (sadly) be too broad for someone such as Tenten.

So I will be kind in saying that she woke up approximately at six thirty-one in the morning.

No, she isn't insane. No, she didn't want to wake up just to spend countless hours "just to think." And no, she didn't wake up just so that she would miss Ino's burnt eggs, which she highly disliked.

She woke up because she couldn't sleep.

She tried. She honestly did. But she couldn't help thinking that what she had done yesterday was… grrr… GAH! "What is it of my business anyway?!" she seethed to no one in particular. She hit herself on the head three times. "Pull yourself together Tenten! Don't sell yourself!" But nygah… Now she really wanted to hit something. It was utterly frustrating to feel guilty about something you shouldn't feel guilty about.

She still wasn't sure of her answer yet. But something in her was telling her that she should just get the hell over with it already and say no. Or say yes. AUGH! Now she couldn't even decide what to think anymore.

She shook her head. "Pace yourself, Tenten," she said to herself. "Go walk over to that smart aleck's place and think on the way. Then tell your answer to him!" She nodded her head in enthusiastic agreement.

* * *

"Brother…" Hinata's voice was faint and depressing. Neji's eyebrows furrow with this fact. He knew that he sent Hinata out awhile ago to interview those who had been at the earthquake. It was a big hit for them when they found out most of them were dead.

"… What…?" he asked hesitantly. "… Did you find anything?"

"They say…" Hinata's voice began to stall. She couldn't find the right words, but she didn't want to be blunt with him – although he was mostly like that himself. "They say… They say she may… She may have…" His eyes widened. And he began to get frustrated.

"She can't be dead!" he hissed into the phone. "Check again! There are still more people on the list. She can't have-"

Hinata had wanted to hang up from the fear of his voice, but she stayed on, knowing that he wouldn't be like this forever. "I'm… I'm sorry, Brother. I will… I will continue to look."

She was the first to hang up.

Neji slammed the phone down, lost at what to do. Tenten hadn't agreed, and as far as he was concerned, she wasn't going to. He shook his head. _There's still time_, he thinks. Uncle is still alive… There's still a chance that his niece is alive… There is a chance.

A small one, but it had disappeared as soon as a knock was heard at the door. He looked up and saw Kurenai. And then he knows there's not a chance anymore.

"The doctor says… he's going to die today…"

* * *

Tenten walked through the fancy building. "Gee," she muttered to herself. "If I thought the hotel back home was fancy, I was obviously wrong." Haha. But she wasn't. Not really. This one was just bigger and… well, ten times as fancy as the other one.

Tenten decided to refuse the job.

She had circled the buildings for an extra fifteen minutes, still deciding. And yet, she came to this conclusion. She couldn't lie to someone just like that. It just didn't seem... right. If Neji had any dignity left in him, he would understand. She was ready to break it to him.

She walked through the building, wondering she was really at the right place or not. She walks up to a woman, one with long black hair and… red eyes? Tenten ignores that part of her since… well… Do red eyes even exist?

"Erm… Excuse me…" She taps the woman's shoulders lightly. The woman turns to look at her, and she's surprised that she _does_ have red eyes. "Uh… Does Hyuuga Neji work here?" she asked. "I have… Something to discuss with him."

The woman's face paled a bit more, and Tenten frowned. "Is there… something-"

"He's out," the woman cut in hastily. "He's… In the hospital right now…"

"Why?" Tenten demanded - her voice suddenly urgent. "Why is he in the hospital? Shouldn't he be working here?"

"Well he…" The woman gave her an inquiring look. "Are you… Do you… work here?" she asked her. "I mean… You seem pretty flustered… Are you a new employee?"

Tenten sweat dropped at the sudden change of topic, but found herself nodding. "Er… Yes!" she exclaimed. "Yes, I am a new employee and I have an appointment to speak with Mr. Hyuuga." She chuckled a bit. "Do you know which hospital so I can meet him?" Now, she added silently.

The woman frowned. "I'm not sure if he wants to be-"

"But he does," Tenten butted in hastily. "Please. I really need this…"

* * *

"Uncle," Neji muttered.

Hiashi cracked his eyes opened, and managed a stiff smile. His breath was rasp. "Neji…" he muttered. "Neji… Did you…" He coughed. "Did you… find her?"

Neji stiffened; his body rigid. Should he tell him? That his niece was possibly dead? He remembered Tenten, and what she had said that night as he asked her for this favor. He frowned at the memory, but she had been honest.

"_Neji, just tell him the truth, ok? I really have to leave."_

And something in him tells him that's what his Uncle needs right now as he's on the brink of death: honesty.

"Uncle…" he begins slowly. "Your niece… I'm afraid she…"

* * *

Tenten rushed up the stairs. The elevator was taking too long and she needed to reach Neji.

* * *

"_Are you a relative of Hyuuga Hiashi?" the doctor asks her. Tenten frowns at the concern in his voice, but she nods her head yes. It was a small lie, and she hoped it wouldn't double-cross her._

"_Is everything alright?" she asks worriedly. "What's going on? Is he-"_

_The doctor sighs and cut in with, "He's dying miss…"_

_She thinks her heart just stopped beating for a moment. And she thinks of Neji. She wonders if he's dying too. "How much…" she begins. "How much time does he have left?"_

"_Not much," the doctor responds. "He won't live past today." He looks at her with a sad understanding. "It's so sad that his niece had gone missing. The stress built up, leaving him with this illness that even he can't cure on his own…"_

* * *

She opened the door and found Neji there.

"Uncle," he said. "Your niece… I'm afraid she…"

Tenten bit her lip, knowing what she has to do. Even she can't bear to see anyone like this – even someone as… well… strange as him. But something is still holding her back. She shrugged it away as she stepped out from the door.

"… She's here," she finished. Neji swerved around and his eyes widened at what he sees. She could see him mouth a small "Tenten" before she walked over carefully to him. She looked down at the man in the bed in front of her with some small consideration – a look that she didn't even know she had.

"Uncle…" she muttered, doing her best to perform the act. "Uncle." She took a hold of the man's hand and squeezed it.

The man's eyes widened, and then he smiled. "Kita…" he murmured. "Kita…" She heard a raspy chuckle come from beneath his plastic mask. "Just like…" She saw tears forming on his eyes. "Just like… your mother."

Surprisingly, tears are forming on her face too. She wondered if this is what it would be like if she wasn't an orphan. But she shook her head mentally. Her family was Naruto, Iruka… and in some ways, Kakashi too.

"Uncle," she repeated and squeezed his hand again. "I'm here," she told him, kneeling down next to him on the bedside. "I'm here – don't worry."

Neji was just standing there, transfixed and wondering how she knew he was here. He had wanted to ask her, but he didn't want to ruin the bonding between her and his Uncle. He steps back a little, to give them some room. He watched her smile and talk with him. And something inside him asks him why he couldn't do the same thing too.

Tenten stroked his hand slowly, saying random things about life where she lived. She had muttered some calming soothing words and she had been so scared and that she had been adopted and that she had wondered who her family was for a long time. It wasn't exactly a whole lie.

At last Hiashi had drifted off to sleep, and the nurse came in to tell them that visiting hours were over. The doctor came in after her and his eyes showed surprise that the man was still alive.

* * *

Tenten stared at the coffee inside her cup. This was a fancy coffee shop and it felt strange to just sit here secluded from everyone else.

Truthfully she had a feeling that this would happen, but… Well… She really didn't know what to say in this situation. She was convinced that the Uncle would most likely… pass away. She had seen content in his eyes, and she was glad that he could finally rest in peace.

However, Neji, unfortunately, knew exactly what to say… Even if he did have trouble doing it.

"… Thank you," he mumbled.

"… Yeah… sure," she replied.

"…"

"…"

"So… Your family… Are they…?"

Neji shook his head. "They won't find out as long as we lay low. Your job won't last this long. We're still looking for the niece… She might be alive." His thoughts link to Hinata. It wasn't exactly the truth… but it wasn't exactly a lie either.

Tenten looked up. "She's still alive?" She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. "That's good." She gave him a grin. "It looked like you were going to tell your uncle that she died or something," she admitted to him. "It's good that she's still alive."

Neji frowned at this, but he said nothing.

"So…" Tenten muttered, looking down at the table. "What now?"

He furrowed his brow, thinking. Then he replied, "We must create your story." Tenten gave him a strange look mixed with confusion. However, she didn't interrupt, waiting for him to continue. He did, after she didn't say anything.

"It has to be believable," he said slowly, gathering his thoughts. "Even though you will not be introduced to the members of the family, Uncle might talk. After you leave, I will do my best to defend you."

She nodded, agreeing with his plan. "So where do we begin?" she asked. She then narrowed her eyes and sighed. "Wait. How much am I getting paid for this? I need something between 900 thousand and to a million. It doesn't have to be handed to me outright, I can wait. I would like to have a paycheck at least and-"

"You will be regarded as a regular worker," Neji cut in. "I will pay you even more if you do the job correctly. As an addition, I will pay for employee vacations and give you your paycheck every month or so." He gave her a look. "Fair enough?"

Tenten nodded in agreement. "How long is the job going to last?" she inquired. "I have my own timetable as well," she explained slowly. "I don't want to be stuck here forever." She saw Neji nod his head in agreement.

"Your job will not last long," he promised. _At least I hope not,_ he added silently. He smirked at her. "I, truthfully, would not like to be stuck with _you_ either." Tenten bristled, but chose to hold her anger in.

"Whatever," she snapped angrily. "What's my background?"

"Hn," he muttered in thought. He looked up. "You have been living with your guardian all your life in Hong Kong. You are fluent with Japanese, Chinese, as well as Korean." Tenten nodded, knowing it was true. Seeing her approval, Neji continued further.

"You major in physics, chemistry, and biology. You have a master's degree in law and-"

"Whoa, Neji!" Tenten butted in hastily. "I have to make sure it's something I can easily pretend if someone asks questions," she answered to his irritable gaze. "I can't just…" She began to stammer. But then furrowed her brow. "I don't even _like _science!" she protested. "And what about law? What if-"

"We have to make sure you have a decent education," Neji cut in. "Uncle will wonder about your education, living style, and also your social status. It will also give you two something to talk about while you care for him in the hospital-"

"What?!" Tenten cried. "I thought this was just for anybody who asked any questions. It's not like your Uncle will get well over night... Right?"

Neji shrugged. "Most likely not… He was… His statistics were very poor – on the brink of death." He shook his head. "It's highly possible he won't make it through. However, that is why you must care for him like you are his niece."

Tenten rolls her eyes. "Neji, lies are supposed to be easy to remember. How, or why, would I want to remember educational junk like that?"

He ignored her question. "As well as education," he continued. "You play the piano. You attend piano classes three times a week. You prefer Chopin over Beethoven and you highly dislike-"

"Wait!" Tenten cried. "What if he – they ask me to play the piano?! I don't even know how to!" She sighed, blowing off a rebellious strand of hair. "Face it – this is too hard, Neji."

He raised an eyebrow. "…Your point?"

"It's hard to base it off of something that we don't really know about ourselves." Neji gives her a confused look. "I mean… Tell me about your cousin," Tenten explained. "It'll give me more of a chance of understanding what you're - you know - getting at."

Neji furrowed his brow and looked away, slightly embarrassed. "I… I've never… I've never met him before," he admitted. "She was a few months younger than I and she disappeared in the accident when I was younger."

She was speechless at first, but then she managed to mumble, "I see…" An awkward silence suspended in the air between them. "I'm… I'm sorry," she said. She was more curious than sorry she had to admit. However, she didn't pursue the subject.

The man shrugged, not used to sympathy from others. "It doesn't matter," he replied. "I never… really knew her that well anyway."

She gave him a weird look. "But she's part of your family, no? Even you should feel the loss… Even if you never really knew her that well yourself." Another long silence. "Do… Do you miss her?"

Neji shook his head and was well-aware of how the matter had shifted into a somewhat personal territory. He was surprised that she was able to coax it out of him, and was self-conscious about what he was saying.

"I don't think…" he began, but stopped to think again. "I don't think you can miss someone," he tried again. "If you've never really knew them."

Tenten just nods. "I understand," she says, chuckling half-heartedly. "It's kinda the same when you're an orphan," she explained to his surprised look. She smiled sadly.

"Sometimes you wonder what it would've been like if they were alive, but then you realize that it's kind of better off that way."

They stared at their coffee cups again, each lost in their own thoughts. _The things we said… They were too personal_, she realized. Tenten was aware of the tension, and she thinks that she took it too far this time. But she thinks of what the Hyuuga has said.

She was surprised that he admitted something – to her of all people. She admits that she was a little satisfied of the outcome, however. The big block of ice could be, apparently, melted. And she's glad.

* * *

So for the next few days, Tenten gone in over and over and over again. Sometimes she read the newspaper to the man. Sometimes she peeled apples for him and sometimes they just talked about her "piano lessons."

Every single day she looked at the Uncle's statistics. And she had paled when she saw that he was getting stronger. "It's a miracle," the doctor said over and over again. "By next week, he will be healthy enough to go home."

And then Hiashi turned to her and smiled. "That's because my niece is here… You will come to live with us, yes?" He chuckled at her surprised expression. "I cannot let you leave without-" Then he coughed roughly.

The doctor went over to him and told him to take a rest. "You're not up to full health yet," he scolded. "You're still in the middle, but as long as you take care of yourself, you should be at the top."

Tenten doesn't say anything as her heart pounded inside her chest. _He was… I thought… THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING._

It was honestly selfish of her wishing that he _wouldn't_ get better. Wow. That sounded cruel - even to her.

But she still has hope.

As long as the rest of Neji's family doesn't find out about her, she's clear.

**Flashback.**

_"Tenten," Neji said sternly. "They must never find out about this. If they did... Well..." He frowned. "There might be a possibility that you will not be able to leave."_

_Tenten's eyes widened at what he just said. "What?!" she shrieked. "What do you mean?! It's not like they're going to imprison me with" She jutted a finger at him. "YOU!" Being stuck with Hyuuga Neji for the rest of her life was... was... UGH! It scientifically proves that you don't have to die to end up in hell._

_Neji chose to ignore that comment, but she noted the slight twitching in his eyebrows. "That's my point," he hissed. "Kurenai visits from eight to eight thirty in the morning. Gai and Lee usually accompany her, but they usually leave when she leaves. They usually visit from six to seven at night, but don't when they come with Kurenai. Asuma comes in from around ten to twelve in the morning. He's extremely devoted to my Uncle. Family friends..." He paused._

_"Family friends usually come in the afternoon, but they don't come around that often."_

_"So when should I be there...?" Tenten asked. "Your whole family practically takes up the time chart. Seriously!"_

_Neji rolled his eyes. "One to three is good enough. Afternoon."_

_"Afternoon?" Tenten asked bewildered. "Isn't that when-"_

_"Yes I know," he butted in hastily. "But there's not a lot of chance you'll run into them. If you do... Well... Make something up."_

_She frowned. She has been lying a lot lately, hasn't she?_

**End.**

* * *

"Coming Uncle!" she cried as she hung up her sweatshirt. Underneath one arm was the today's newspaper, but she figured that it was her responsibility to make some tea first.

It was good. Neji had told her that he held the family members back for awhile, so they shouldn't be a problem. She discussed with Neji earlier about Hiashi getting better, but he explained that she would just tell him that she was returning home to her foster family.

_Yep_, she thinks to herself. _This is_ good.

That's when the door opens.

Uchiha Mikoto comes in.

But Tenten doesn't know who she is. All she knows is that she must be related to Hiashi somehow.

And that she's in trouble.

* * *

**A/N.** I didn't know where to leave it off, so yeah. Bad ending. And this chapter wasn't that great either. MENEH. A pretty bad one for updating late too. MENEH x2.

The drama is too cheesy. (o o); I'm making some of it up. Why? Because cheesiness... is kind of bad.  
I also might start another drama story such as this one that also has to deal with Neji and Tenten. So if you think my writing doesn't totally suck, you should keep your eyes peeled. No, not literally. _Metaphorically_.

**Thanks to those who read and reviewed. Or just read. That's ok too.**

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_Shikyo Yaiba_ **_– _Thanks for correcting me. XD Ch. 10 reviews are updated. **


	12. first impressions

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and is in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

_Yep_, she thinks to herself. _This is_ good.

That's when the door opens.

Uchiha Mikoto comes in.

But Tenten doesn't know who she is. All she knows is that she must be related to Hiashi somehow.

And that she's in trouble.

Her eyes darted to the woman who was now taking in her surroundings. Tenten's first impulse was to get the hell out of here and not care who the hell saw her. But she stopped herself. She needed to think. She needed to plan this thing out...

As the woman looked at the medical reports on the bulletin board by the door, Tenten saw her chance. She dashed quickly over to the coat hanger to get her scarf and sweatshirt. She clumsily pulled it on.

But of course, Mikoto spotted her.

She was curious. "Excuse me," she began, arching an eyebrow. "Who are you…?"

Tenten stopped and played with the frays of her scarf nervously. She really needed to think up of a good lie. "Err…" she began. "I'm… I'm the caretaker of this patient!" she explained enthusiastically. "But, uh… my shift has just ended! Good-bye!"

She dashed over to the door but bumped into Uchiha Sasuke. Her eyes widen.

"S-Sasuke!" she stammered nervously. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He stared at her with dark eyes as if she was a stranger and it took awhile to remember her face. "You're… You're that tourist guide…" he said, surprised. He gave her a strange look. "I… I still don't know your-"

"Tourist guide?" Mikoto butted in with a weird glance at her son. "What are you talking about, Sasuke? She just told me she was the caretaker of Hiashi-"

"Caretaker…?" Sasuke asked. He turned to Tenten and raised his eyebrows. "You didn't tell me you worked in a hospital…?"

She sweat dropped a bit. "Err… Two jobs?" she stuttered, managing an innocent smile, but quickly caught on with her course of action. "Ah! You see I go on tourist business in the mornings and then I fly over here to take care of this man here! You can clearly see I have no relation WHATSOEVER with this-"

The door opened again and Kurenai stepped in with Asuma trailing behind her. "Hello!" she greeted. "I heard that master was getting-" She stopped as she saw Tenten's face.

"Oh…?" she said with confusion. "You're here? Did you find Neji yet? I hope he accepted your application for hotel facility. You know how we-"

But Mikoto butted in again with, "You're also in the hotel business?" Her voice grew to a suspicious tone. "I never knew _that_… How come I've never seen you around that often?"

Kurenai quickly stepped in with, "Mikoto! She's a new employee! Of course you've never seen-"

"You have _three_ jobs?" Sasuke asked. Asuma was following the conversation silently because he has nothing witty to say in response. He really wanted to ask, "What the hell are you all talking about?!" but he didn't.

Tenten was just looking around her nervously, trying to explain without getting cut off. Everyone is surrounding her in a tight circle, while Hiashi is oblivious to it all as he's napping inside the plastic–walled room.

Unbeknownst to the four of them, the clock just struck three o'clock. Tenten was the only one who noticed and her eyes widen, predicting the horrific future that would come out of this. _Neji will come in because of his unreasonable punctuality and-_

And Neji _did_ come in, opening the door. She caught the surprise in his eyes as he looked at her in the middle of all of his relatives.

"I... uh... MR. HYUUGA-SIR!" she bellowed out, raising her voice against the others' arguments.

Neji arched an eyebrow. "What are you all doing here?" he asked coolly. "You are not supposed to be here through 1 to-"

"He means that visiting hours are going to be closed soon!" Tenten butted in artfully. The last thing she needed now was to reveal their motives behind the clock hours. "Now if you excuse me, Mr. Hyuuga and I will now leave!"

She brushed past Neji and reached for the doorknob.

However, Hiashi has just woken up from his nap.

"Kita…?" he asked, looking around in a daze. "Where are you…? Did you make my tea yet?" He frowned as he looked for her. "Did she leave already?" he asked him to himself. "Kita!"

The family members are huddled together now, except Sasuke who's still staring at Tenten with curiosity. "Do you think he's finally cracked?" Mikoto whispered in the group.

"Of course not!" Kurenai hissed at her. "Master wouldn't-"

Uncle noticed the family members, but still doesn't see Kita… or, err… Tenten, who's at the door. She wanted to leave, she really did. But everyday she always said good-bye to him… but if the relatives find out…

"Kita?" Hiashi's voice came out again. "Did you make the tea?" He then began coughing harshly. The relatives looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Hiashi!" Kurenai cried and she tried to move past Mikoto to the entrance.

But Tenten just beat her to it. "Uncle!" she shrieked dramatically. With her flexibility, she managed to maneuver through the tight hallway and into the room.

All of them looked at each other and then at Tenten.

"… UNCLE?!"

* * *

"Neji," Kurenai began, narrowing her eyes. "What is going on? And who is she?" She nodded to Tenten who was sitting beside him with her eyes on the ground and her arms between her legs clenched in fists.

Mikoto also gave him a strange look. "What does she mean by calling Hiashi 'Uncle'?" she persisted. "What is her relation with him?" Sasuke was beside her not saying anything, but observing this strange incident.

Neji and Tenten exchanged glances.

Before Tenten could say something else, Neji kicked her on her ankles and replied, "The niece." She raised an eyebrow at "the niece." She had a name dammit.

Kurenai's eyes widened, as did Asuma's. "The niece?" she asked. "_The_ niece?" If Asuma had a cigarette in his mouth, it would have dropped on the carpet and sizzled. "You found her?"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Mikoto hurriedly demanded. "We would've liked to know too." For once, Kurenai didn't interrupt, for she was thinking the same thing as well.

Tenten opened her mouth to say something, but Neji came in roughly with, "We didn't want anyone else to know _yet_." He glanced at Tenten telling her with his eyes to do something to show her approval. Tenten just nodded and went reluctantly along with the story.

Kurenai thought for a moment. "So…" she mumbled - mostly to herself. "She's _alive_." Asuma was still speechless, but raised an eyebrow in question. There's silence between everyone until she spoke again. "Perhaps you'd like to stay with the family for awhile-"

Neji opened his mouth this time to say something, but Tenten quickly cut him off. "I apologize," she said quickly. "I have to return to my family back in Hong Kong. However, it was nice-"

"Nonsense!" Kurenai stepped in hastily. "You are the niece of Hiashi! You must stay with us before going back!"

Tenten sweat dropped and her eyes widened in fear. "No, no, no!" she quickly said. Everyone looked at her strangely. She managed a nervous laugh. "I don't want to be a burden by staying with you," she explained sheepishly. _I REALLY don't want to-_

Asuma stared at her and she bit her lip nervously. His gaze looked as if he was staring right through her façade, and she couldn't help but be a little intimidated. "Why not stay?" he asked with suspicion. "Surely your foster family will approve. And our hospitality is pretty good." Tenten opened her mouth protest again but Neji cut in.

"You should stay," Neji said. Tenten twitched. She was practically hissing inside. She looked at him and he stared back. His eyes were saying "You're going to screw everything up if you refuse so just stop refusing and I might pay you extra."

Yes. Tenten was getting especially good at telling what he was saying.

"Err…" she began, a little nervous from Neji's stare. "Of _course_ I'll stay with you. AFTER Uncle gets better."

* * *

"Calm down." There was a sigh. "The deal was -"

"The deal was just to take care of your Uncle until he gets better and then leave." Tenten was seething with anger. "There was nothing – **NOTHING** about having to stay with _your_ family in _your_ house." _And with __**you**_.

The two were just away from the hospital room near the water fountains. Both were equally surprised about the new arrived visitors, but they decided to ignore that and focus on what was more important.

Neji nodded in partial agreement. "True," he stated. "But the circumstances cause for another course of action." He looked at her. "Right?"

She huffed, blowing her bangs out a little. If she had protested, she most likely would've blown her lie. But of course, she would never admit that to him. She slapped herself mentally. AHHHH! What a mess she got herself into!

"Y-Yes," she began shakily. "But… but… AUGH!" She had an urge to tug on her ribbons in frustration. "NEJI! I DON'T WANT TO LIVE WITH YOU OR YOUR FAMILY." Neji's eyes narrowed at her response.

"Too late," he said curtly. "You have already told them that you will be staying once Uncle gets better." He raised an eyebrow. "It will be strange if you offer it, and then turn it down."

"Cheh!" she hissed. "FINE!" She poked a finger in his chest. "But you better pay me extra or I'll-"

"Depends if you do a good job," he responded with equal venom.

Tenten whirled around and stormed off fuming. She should've listened to her conscious and not have to do this piece of crap. As soon as she was done with this she'll kick that man's ass. She grinned mischievously as she thought of the best ways to knock his block off.

* * *

"Good news," the doctor said cheerfully. "Mr. Hyuuga is well enough to go home today." He handed Neji the documents and hospital fees and walked off mumbling something about "miracles" and "$1000000 ( insert zeros here fee )."

Neji and Tenten got into the car. Her damn eye wouldn't stop twitching. She knew it was bound to happen sometime soon but it still pained her to hear those words. She'll be trapped in her own lies and stuck with the pompous man next to her for who knows HOW long.

And so, it was with great distress that Tenten stepped foot into the Hyuuga household. She didn't feel right by doing so. She was going to get spoiled even though she wasn't even the real thing. Her eyes widened at her surroundings.

It was pretty fancy alright. Fancy plants outlined the walls and their furniture was intricate. Great. Now she feels even more guilty. She frowned. Hiashi was already taking a rest in the next room. She saw the young prodigy go into that room to check up on him. She rolled her eyes. He was such a spazz.

She wandered down one corridor between that room and the stairs. Tenten noticed the few doors and presumed that this is where those two funky green people, the red eyes woman, and that… Kazuma? Asuma? What was his name? Well anyways, this is probably where they sleep and do whatever.

She looked at paintings and random portraits hung on the wall. She wondered to herself who drew them all. She nodded approvingly to no one in particular. They were pretty good at interior design if she does say so herself…

The girl stopped as she reached the end of the corridor. She stared at a big portrait. The people in it she noticed were Hiashi and… others? Tenten frowned. Why was it so darn big?

"I'm guessing that's the first time you've ever seen your parents?"

Surprised at the sudden voice, she whirled around to find Asuma leaning back in the doorway. He nodded to the painting. "That's a picture of your mother and father," he explained. "You probably don't know them too well."

Tenten laughed nervously. "Yes… I suppose…" she mumbled. _Damn right!_

He cocked his head to the side. "What were you doing here?"

"I-I-I was… Just looking!" she stuttered out. "I like this plant right here," she said rushing to a random house plant. "It must take hours to water and take care of," she said hastily. "It's a wonder on how-"

"It's fake," Asuma said clearly. Tenten gulped, even though she didn't know why. He walked over to the plant. "It looks real…" he explained as he watched her reaction. "… Even though it's fake." He seemed to look pointedly at her.

Tenten quickly stepped back from the plant. "Err… I… Well I-"

"Tenten." Neji appeared around the corner. He nodded to the man. "Asuma."

"NEJI!" Tenten blurted out. "What are you-"

"Come. I'll show you to you room." He took hold of her arm quickly and maneuvered their way out of the corridor.

* * *

"Who the hell was he?" Tenten cried. "I think he knows I'm not the real niece or something. He was all, like, 'Yeah. And that plant's fake and I know you are too,' you know!"

Neji lead her up the stairs. "He's Asuma," he answered curtly. "He has been working for Uncle for about twenty years. He holds great respect for him," he explained. "He is most likely suspicious, but it should pass with time."

Tenten merely nodded as Neji opened her bedroom door. Her jaw hanged by her knees as she gaped at the room. It was pretty simplistic but she was all over it when she saw the expensive electronics. A TV and a computer. Wow. She never got her own before. She was surprised that they could fit it all in here including a bed and a personal bathroom.

She threw herself onto the bed and hugged a big green pillow to her face. "AH!" she cried out in joy. "A BED! FINALLY!" Her voice would've been louder if it wasn't muffled by the pillow on her face.

Neji rolled his eyes. "If you need me, my room is straight across from you." He raised an eyebrow at Tenten who was laughing and playing with the sheets. "Tenten!" She stopped and looked at him.

"What?"

He sighed and she could see the twitch in his eyes. "Didn't you hear what I just said?" Tenten shook her head. He crossed his arms over his chest. "My room is on the-"

With a huff, the girl rolled her eyes, annoyed. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," she butted in. She chucked the pillow at him. "Now get out. I need some sleep. A good employee has to wake up early in the morning to get Uncle his tea!"

Neji twitched and he threw the pillow back at her. He shut the door with mutters of "little ungrateful" and "annoying."

* * *

Tenten was at the edge of the white bathtub, experimenting with everything. Yes, experimenting. In this case, experimenting with the spa techniques and the soaps and perfumes and lavender-

Ok, so she was experimenting with everything.

But a last, she sighed to herself blissfully and said to herself, "Alright, Tenten! You're not going to be here forever, so might as well get used to it!" She grinned to herself cheekily as she took the shower head and turned a button on. It sprayed on. She looked at one button she hadn't tried yet.

Raising an eyebrow she stared at it. "I wonder what this does," she wondered out loud. She pressed it. That's when everything went wrong.

"GACK!" she shouted as she crashed onto the tile floor. The shower head was going haywire spraying water everywhere. It was not a surprise that she had slipped and err… fell.

She tried to lift herself up and realized that her towel was wrapped more loosely around her body. She cursed herself. She couldn't get up and her neck felt sore. She frowned at her predicament.

* * *

Neji had gone out of his room to get a drink. Why? Because he was thirsty. But that's when he heard a bump and a muffled shout from Tenten's room. He raised an eyebrow and walked in.

He looked curiously around. And nodded his head. She hadn't managed to screw up anything in the room so far. But he continued to the bathroom door. He heard more slips and tumbles and an, "What the hell did I ever do to deserve this?" through the door.

"Tenten," he mumbled, knocking on the door. No response. "Tenten!"

* * *

Tenten was well aware of who was calling outside her door. Her eyes widened in fear as she realized what she was wearing and- She shook her head. At once she shrieked, "Don't come in! IF YOU DO SO HELP ME I'LL-"

* * *

Neji pulled his ear back form the door. It was clear that she was saying something. Without thinking he barged into the door…

* * *

"GACK!"

And quickly closed it, blushing. He slapped himself mentally. Why did he barge in there? He searched his mind for an answer but he could only find a few words. Tenten. Floor. Towel…

He reddened more.

He quickly dashed to her bed and bunched up the blanket and carried it to the door. He grasped them tightly as he yelled, "Tenten! I-I'm coming in!" He cursed himself for stuttering. He quickly shut his eyes and opened the door.

Neji quickly crashed down the stairs with Tenten wrapped in blankets. She was hanging uselessly on his back and the other family members came to see what the entire ruckus was about.

* * *

"ZOMG!" Lee (a.k.a. mini Gai) was the first to shout. "THE FAMILY'S MOST BEAUUUUUUTIIIIFUL FLOWER IS INJURED!" ( insert spazz attack here ) Gai and Lee immediately hugged each other in sorrow and pools of tears were coming out of the two.

Kurenai was at the steps. "Neji!" she cried. "What happened?!"

Asuma came trailing with Uncle in the wheelchair. Hiashi's eyes were wide. "Neji!" he demanded. "What did you do to-" Before he could finish, however, the young Hyuuga was already gone, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Neji waited by his car. He had already delivered Tenten to the hospital. He shook his head at her antics. But looked over the papers seeing what the hell was wrong with her. He glanced back at the hospital entrance.

There she was. Tenten was rubbing her stiff neck that was now covered with a brace. She was dressed in fresh clothes that Neji had managed to grab. Coming out, she had spotted Neji and snorted. The girl walked over to his car and got in without a word.

* * *

The drive home was silent until Tenten piped up, "Did you see anything?"

Neji glanced at her, surprised to hear her speak after tonight's events. "Pardon?" he asked. There was an awkward silence. She didn't reply immediately, but did so none the less.

"… Did you _see_ anything?" she repeated, this time emphasizing the "see" phrase.

Neji made a loud coughing noise and was proud of himself when he didn't blush at the question. "I did," he admitted stoically. He looked over at her and saw that she was staring at him. He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Tenten pried her eyes away from him and crossed her arms over her chest. "I… I can't believe you just said that…" she muttered angrily. She was staring in front of her, avoiding his gaze.

"What?" he asked again, annoyed.

She turned to him again. "Do you understand the humiliation I'm currently going through?!" she shrieked. "The least you could do is tell me that you didn't see anything!" She shifted in her seat with irritation.

The man snorted. "I was telling the truth."

"Then lie!" Tenten shouted. "Honestly you have NO feelings whatsoever with-"

"I'm sorry that I'm not a liar like you are," he hissed. He then shook his head. He used one hand to rub his temples a bit. The way this girl made him feel… AUGH! "Fine," he began, settling down. "I didn't see anything. There."

"Forget it!" she huffed. "The damage is already done."

They pulled into the driveway of the house and Tenten leaped out. She avoided him and went to the door himself. "Perverted human being. Doesn't have the decency to KNOCK!"

Neji rolled his eyes at her childish behavior. "If you didn't want me to come in, then you should've said so," he mumbled – mostly to himself.

Tenten stared at him in sheer bewilderment. "You should've said so? You should've said so? Didn't you hear me say so back in the bathroom?!" She turned to him and pointed. "You're probably some lecher!" she accused. "Stealing other woman's virginity. I should've known!"

Eyes narrowing, he backed her up to the door. Her heartbeat raced as she found herself without anywhere to run. She looked away from his glare and stared at the floor instead, aware of his breath near her ear. "Do you want to say that again?" he asked acidly.

Tenten quickly shook her head in fear. With a light shove, she was moved aside. Neji inserted the key in and pushed the door open. She relaxed only when he opened the door and walked inside.

* * *

**A/N.** Aha. I will let you guys do the "imagining" on what the house looks like. :) This story is pretty slow boiled since… Well, you don't really fall in love immediately, do you?

**Thanks to those who read and reviewed. Or just read. That's ok too.**

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_2756 __**–**_ **I don't really approve of the name either, but that is what the drama is called that it's based loosely off of. XD**


	13. meeting again

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and is in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

Eyes narrowing, he backed her up to the door. Her heartbeat raced as she found herself without anywhere to run. She looked away from his glare and stared at the floor instead, aware of his breath near her ear. "Do you want to say that again?" he asked acidly.

Tenten quickly shook her head in fear. With a light shove, she was moved aside. Neji inserted the key in and pushed the door open. She relaxed only when he opened the door and walked inside.

* * *

The next day, all of them were gathered at the kitchen table.

Tenten was happily cracking her neck, happy that she had finally gotten rid of that annoying brace. Kurenai was twitching slightly at the sick sound while Asuma was looking at her with some new respect after the incident. Lee was happily chomping on all the toast he could grab in ignorant bliss while Gai… Well, he was sewing another green jumpsuit.

But either way, Hiashi began with, "Neji, wouldn't you like to show Kita-"

"Tenten," the "niece" quickly corrected. The family members gave her a weird look while Neji's eyes were widened with a look that said "What the hell are you doing contradicting the head of the family?!?!?!"

"Err…" Tenten began explaining uneasily. "I'm more used to being called that then… Err…"

"We understand." Hiashi intervened quickly, smiling warmly at her. "Like I was saying before, wouldn't you like you show Tenten around the city, Neji?" He stared at his nephew. His eyes made it apparent that the Hyuuga wouldn't have a choice.

Neji snorted inwardly, but asked, "Where?"

"YOSH!" Lee was bouncing up and down in excitement. "Where would you like to go, Tenten? I suppose beautiful flowers like you would like to go to the mall? Or a fancy restaurant, or-"

"Err… The 63rd Building **(13)** is around here, no?" Tenten had butted in her question quickly. From being around Lee so far (which was only about 3-12 hours), she could tell he could lose his head quickly.

"A good choice, Tenten!" Gai had stood up and given her the "good guy" pose with a ping in his teeth. "The view is beyond amazing! What a place to get a first good look at Korea!"

"Hum…" Asuma played with his egg yolk. "The view is more fascinating at night," he put in. Kurenai nodded as well as she helped herself to some more rice porridge. "You'll be sure to enjoy seeing all the nice lights," she added warmly.

Tenten smiled sheepishly at her. She had been in a good mood ever since she had told her how much she liked the paintings around the house. Kurenai had responded by declaring, "I drew those myself" and had showed her own art room. She sweat dropped as she remembered how Kurenai went on to explain the different brush styles she used… and… (cough).

"It's ok," Tenten said quickly. "I have some stuff to do outside anyways in the morning…"

She had made up her mind today to tell Naruto and everyone else what was going on. She had hesitated at first, remembering how she had promised Neji not to tell anyone but… It was for a good cause.

* * *

Tenten went along the streets. She had left immediately after she was done eating. Hiashi had told Neji to drive her to where she needed to be, but she had quickly declined saying it was a "personal" thing.

Today was a Sunday, so the shop was closed today. She sighed in relief knowing that she wouldn't have to waste time checking if Ino was there or not. She rubbed her hands together as she knocked on the apartment door.

Shikamaru had opened the door and raised an eyebrow. She could tell that he was annoyed that he had been interrupted from doing… well, whatever he was doing. "Tenten?" he wondered out loud. "What are you doing-"

"TENTEN?!" Naruto yelled. Shikamaru moved to the side so that Tenten was able to see her hyper-active companion. She grimaced at how he had sprayed some ramen onto the floor from yelling. "WHERE HAVE YOU-"

"BEEN?!" Ino finished with a hysterical voice. She was currently perched behind Naruto holding a comb and a pair of scissors in one hand. It was clear that she had been cutting the boy's head… err… I mean hair.

"Eh heh…" Tenten laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head. "It's a long story…"

Shikamaru yawned. "Make it short."

* * *

Hinata walked into the run-down gambling area. She shivered inwardly at the shady looking people she came across, but sucked it up and continued in. She asked around for a certain person until she had found him.

"Hello," Hinata greeted, bowing down. "I'm here regarding to the earthquake that happened in Japan some years ago." She took out an old picture that was taken of everyone who were residents of that area. She had used the picture many times during the interviews.

Nonetheless, she pointed to a girl. "Have you heard of her or any others form this photo?" she asked hesitantly.

The man peered at the photo and Hinata let him take it in his hands. "… Yes…" he began. "A friend of mine… Well, we were both in the earthquake together. In fact-"

"Kino?" A woman of the same age of him went up and stood by him. "What's going on?" She peered at the photo and raised an eyebrow. "Where did you get that…?"

The man shook his head. He gestured to Hinata. "She gave it to me," he said. "He pointed to the girl again. "She's looking for this girl," he said.

At a mention of her, the woman's eyebrows furrowed. "Looking for her?" she wondered out loud. She turned to the girl in front of her, expecting an explanation.

"We're looking for her," Hinata explained. "Just like you said. Have you seen her? Do you know if she survived?"

The woman took a look at the picture again. "Two of my friends are in this picture," she began. She pointed to one that had a scar on his nose and another whose eye was covered with a mask. A blonde loudmouth boy was on top of the brown-haired man's shoulders, smiling wide for the camera.

She frowned as she looked at Hinata. "Have you spoken to them yet?" The young girl shook her head no. She chewed her lip nervously. "I crossed them out on the list," she admitted. "Some people – the majority – thought that they were dead."

The man and woman exchanged looks. Hinata's eyes followed her as she went to the back of the shop and disappeared. She then reappeared with another photo. She handed it to her.

"This is a recent picture," she said. "Both of my friends are still alive. And…" She glanced at the man next to her.

Getting the message, the man continued. "We… We think we saw him-" He pointed to the one with the scar on his nose. "Take the child afterwards," he finished.

Hinata looked at both of them and then looked at the picture. It was another one with the same people in it. However, it was taken more recently and she could see two girls by the blonde-haired boy. One was shorter than the other.

She frowned. She couldn't tell which one was the niece and which one wasn't. They both looked pretty similar, except one had her hair done in buns and the other laid down.

"Perhaps you can take me to your friend?" she asked. The two gave her an inquiring look. "I would like to meet him and ask him further questions," she explained.

The man smiled. "I'll see what I can do. He's a very kind-hearted man and he probably wouldn't mind. He has a daughter now as well as a son."

The other lady smiled with him and nodded. "She's extremely intelligent. She can speak many languages. Korean, Japanese… And I think Chinese?" She turned to him for confirmation, and he nodded.

"Yes."

* * *

Sakura got out of hotel. She opened her cell phone, determined to call him, but she quickly snapped it shut. She shook her head. Maybe he wasn't ready. It was clear that _she_ wasn't.

But she knew that wasn't really the reason at all. Something in her told her that it wasn't going to cut it if she spoke to Neji through a cell phone. They needed to be face to face.

Moegi entered the room and cocked her head at her. "Sakura, you said you wanted to go somewhere?" The pink-haired girl turned to her and nodded her head – a grin on her face.

"Yeah…"

* * *

Sasuke sighed. The online date was another extremely hyperactive girl. He scratched his head in frustration. He wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for his mother. He smirked to himself as he left the room, leaving the girl behind. She never told him how _long_ he had to stay, really.

He went out of the hallway but stopped as a certain Hyuuga caught his eye. Hinata was here. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity. There could only be a few reasons why she was here. It's possible that she had an online date that went wrong, like he.

However, a tall man came out of the room. Sasuke quickly leaned back against the doorway in the other room and his eyes widened at what he heard.

"It's ridiculous, I tell you!" The man was shouting into his phone. "They're still searching for the niece after twenty years. For all we know she's…"

Sasuke went out of the corridor and took the opposite direction, eyes narrowed. They were still looking for her? Then does that mean Tenten is…

His thoughts were distracted however, when his mother appeared at his side. "Sasuke," she demanded. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you doing any work-"

"You told me to go on the online date," he accused skeptically. He sighed. "And you know how work is…" They both stepped in the elevator. "I'm most likely going to go back home and-"

**PING!** The elevator doors opened.

Mikoto and Sasuke stared at the visitor. Pink-haired.

"Sasuke!" she cried out happily. "It's been awhile, eh?"

The man said narrowed his eyes slightly, but bowed politely. "Sakura," he addressed. He motioned his mother to leave. "Excuse us; we have some business that we need to attend to." He walked out of the elevator with Mikoto trailing after him.

She tapped Sakura lightly on the shoulder. "I apologize for my son's behavior," she said stoically. _But you really can't blame him._

"No, no!" Sakura said hastily. "Don't be…" She looked at where Sasuke had walked off before getting into the elevator herself. Maybe she should've bought Moegi along, but she was partially convinced she could handle it alone.

* * *

"Wait!" Ino cried. "You mean you're the Hyuugas' _niece_?!" she shrieked. "I thought you were adop-"

"I'm not _really_ their niece!" Tenten retorted. "I told you already – a guy offered me a high paying job to act…" She paused, searching for the word. "… Temporarily!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You know what will happen if they find out, right?"

Tenten scoffed. "Shikamaru, I didn't volunteer, alright?" She licked her popsicle. "Besides, if I do get caught, the first person I'm going to blame it on is Ken- Neji."

Naruto nodded, but then widened his eyes. "Wait! That means you're going to be their niece…" He took in a gulp of air. "FOREVER!" he shouted dramatically. Tenten hit him on the head.

"It's not going to be forever," she spat.

Ino gave her an incredulous look. "How can it be NOT forever?" she asked. "You just came back," she reasoned. "They've been looking for you for twenty years or something. It's not like you can get up and walk away."

Tenten waved that comment away and sucked on the remains of her ice cream. "Relax, Ino," she said. "I'm not planning to stay long. Once I get enough money to pay back the debt, I'll just tell them that I'm going back to my foster family." She threw the popsicle stick in the trash can.

"See?" she said. "No harm done!"

The three of them exchanged glances with one another and it was clear that they didn't agree with that. "Err… Right…" Ino mumbled. "Whatever…"

"Ne," Naruto pointed out as he scratched his head. "I wonder what happened to those debt collectors. Are they still following you around, Tenten?"

She was about to tell them the whole story, but bit her lip and decided not to. "Well… I don't _think_ they are…"

* * *

"Hum…" Chouji was munching on a bag of chips as… usual. "She doesn't seem to be around on the island… Anymore that is." He looked at the companion to his left. "What do you think Shino?"

"…"

Chouji nodded his head. "Very insightful."

"…"

He nodded his head again. "I totally agree. Kiba is definitely overreacting."

"…"

He sighed. "Fine. Overreacting and _beyond_."

"AUGH!" Kiba was shouting and innocent pedestrians quickly dashed away as the three of them walked down the street. "That's it! We're going to that no-good Hyuuga's company!" he seethed. "We can't find her anywhere! We've been looking for three goddamn weeks and-"

Shino raised an eyebrow. "…"

"**I AM NOT OVERREACTING!**" he shouted angrily to the calm and stoic Shino. He stomped off and Chouji sighed as he threw his last bag of chips in the trash and immediately opened another one. "He is really overreacting now."

"…"

"Haha," Chouji laughed dryly. "Very funny, Shino. Your sarcasm is _not_ appreciated."

* * *

Sakura had been sitting at the company's coffee shop for awhile now. She frowned and she admitted that she was a little bit afraid of going in. _Maybe I should've let Moegi come along_, she thought to herself glumly.

It had been three years since she had left Neji like that. Even now she knew it was wrong but… She sighed as she took another sip of her latte. She had believed it was better to end the relationship right then and there than to get both of them hurt later on.

"Sakura," she whispered to herself determinedly. "Pull yourself together. You're just going to see him and say hi." She nodded firmly and left the money on her table as she left. She was ready.

She walked to the elevator and lightly pressed the up button. The elevator opened and she walked inside.

Tenten sighed as she made her way back to the Hyuuga household. She had fiercely told the three of them not to tell anyone or speak of it in public but Shikamaru had been sleeping at the time and Ino and Naruto had been bickering.

She highly doubted any of them had heard her.

She opened the door and was greeted at once with Kurenai. "Tenten!" she cried out. "There you are! Would you like to go to the art gallery with us?!"

"Wha…?" Tenten asked dazed. She shook her head to clear her mind and smiled nervously at the woman in front of her. "Err… No thanks Kurenai-"

"Call me Auntie."

"Err… _Auntie_," she corrected, inching her way around the artist. "But I've had a pretty long day and… Why not ask Asuma?!" she bellowed out loudly. She had expected Asuma to come out at least and be a distraction for Kurenai at least. She had a feeling that they harbored secret feelings for one another-

"No!" Kurenai said at once. "Asuma just carves wood all day." She scoffed. "Either way, Mikoto will be coming too and it can be a girls' day out or something!" Tenten swore she heard a growl when she said Mikoto's name.

But nonetheless, Tenten was exhausted from today already. "Err… No. I think I have to take care of Uncle right now so-"

"Don't worry," Kurenai said smiling. "Gai and Lee already have it done-"

Tenten's eyes widened. "In that case I _definitely_ need to go and save-WAIT! ACK!"

Poor Tenten was dragged out from her own will anyways. So sad.

* * *

"Ah! His works touch my heart so!" Kurenai sniffed as she stared at… a red square...?

Tenten just laughed nervously and stared at it for a good five minutes without blinking to discover what was so darn good about it. She was about to open her mouth and say something like "This is stupid" but someone else beat her to it.

Mikoto shook her head. "What are you talking about, Kurenai?" She looked at the description. "It says that this artist had some major trauma moments in his life, and decided to express all of his bad things in a square."

Kurenai kept staring at it and sighed. "I can see it!"

Tenten raised an eyebrow at her antics. "Err… Yeah…" she drawled. "Perhaps you can explain this to me?"

Kurenai went over to another piece of artwork and motioned the others to follow. She shoved Tenten forward a little lightly to look at the next piece. "Ok," she prompted. "What do you see?"

"Err…"

* * *

Neji was working, burrowed in his papers. He was still slightly shaken up from the err… He turned red. Gosh it was so embarrassing!

An abrupt knock at the door.

He raised an eyebrow. "Come in."

* * *

Kiba, Chouji, and Shino were in the elevator now. It dinged at their floor and they stepped out. Chouji and Shino were willing to stay in the elevator and ride back down, but Kiba dragged them along anyway.

"I'm going to need some backup if he starts overreacting!" Kiba seethed as he dragged them. Literally.

Shino raised an eyebrow, his arms still crossed over his chest as the dog dragged him ruthlessly on the ground by his collar.

"…"

"**I'M NOT OVERREACTING!**"

* * *

"Neji…" Sakura looked at him. She was aware of the awkward tension between them, and nervously tried to laugh it off. "Long time no see, eh?" Neji raised an eyebrow. He didn't bother to get up from his seat.

"What are you doing here, Sakura?"

She bit her lip. "Listen, Neji… I-"

"Forget it," he said quickly. "Whatever happened between us is over." He clicked his pen on and off. Silence in the room. "Congratulations," he muttered. "… On the win."

Sakura's eyes lit up. "Were you watching?" He didn't say anything and she frowned. "Neji, I never meant to leave you. I mean… My dream, you know?" She took a deep breath. "But maybe we can start over-"

"HYUUGA NEJI!"

Kiba burst into the room. Chouji and Shino were going to take the liberty to knock but err… yeah.

Neji was inwardly grateful at the interruption, but looked icily at them. "What do you want?" Sakura stood off to the side with wide eyes. Who the hell were they?

Kiba said nothing as he grabbed Neji roughly out of his seat and into a smaller lounge area near his desk. There was an inaudible sigh from Shino as he followed the imprudent man in. Chouji on the other hand was staring at the pink-haired girl.

"You must be Haruno Sakura!" he cried. The girl looked at him surprised and winced inwardly at his greasy fingers. She laughed nervously. "Oh… heh… yeah..?"

The "pleasingly plump" man nodded his head vigorously. "I've always watched your tennis matches! Congratulations on winning!" Sakura gave him a warm smile and then her eyes grew downcast.

_If only Neji thought the same way…_

* * *

Tenten, fortunately, managed to convince the two women that she had to get some Chinese pork buns for Uncle. She had quickly slipped away leaving Kurenai and Mikoto alone.

The red-eyed woman sighed as she looked at a new recent sculpture that was bought in. She honestly didn't really want to be stuck with Mikoto, but she couldn't just leave… could she?

Mikoto had invited her out. Her original plan was for her to ditch the two and leave Tenten to defend herself against the Uchiha but… She released another loud sigh.

Mikoto sighed as well, but in relief. "Huh. I was wondering when that girl would leave…" She looked at Kurenai. "Listen, we saw her."

She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Details…?"

The other woman shook her head and put a hand to her brow. "Sakura – Haruno Sakura is back in Korea. Sasuke and I saw her in the company building."

Kurenai's eyes widened. "WHAT?!"

* * *

**(13) **The 63rd Building is… Well… A _building_ (- gasp -) in Korea. You can go up and look at the view, eat in their rotating restaurant, etc. But that's just the gist of it.

* * *

**A/N.** Ah. This cahpter was a little boring in my opinion. Either way, Sakura finally meets Neji but they run into… err… complications. XD

The drama is actually Korean. _( 2756 ) _I have some knowledge about Korea, but it's a little iffy.  
Aha. I update fast because... erm... Well, I typed out a lot of chapters before I posted the initial story up because of the 3 day wait does. But I try to update as fast as I can. I have to think for a day or so to get the story straight, but meh. :)

**Thanks to those who read and reviewed. Or just read. That's ok too.**

_kyakya991_  
_Matahari_  
_Ice Phnix_  
_Spetiane_  
_Shikyo Yaiba_  
_iheartyu.xD_  
_Pyro – Momo_  
_Makonochi_  
_2756_  
_aizuhime_  
_Hatake Megumi_  
_Shadow – Ninja – Fay **-**_ **Ah. I actually have a cold right now as well. - sneezes -**


	14. going out to dinner

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and is in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

'_Text' -_ English dialogue

* * *

She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Details…?"

The other woman shook her head and put a hand to her brow. "Sakura – Haruno Sakura is back in Korea. Sasuke and I saw her in the company building."

Kurenai's eyes widened. "WHAT?!"

Mikoto raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, Kurenai. I thought your hearing was better-"

"NO!" she hissed angrily. "LOOK!" She jabbed her finger to the name that was on the plaque near the wooden sculpture. Mikoto sweat dropped. _She didn't hear a thing I said…?_

"The name on it is… is… Asu-" she stuttered.

"Asuma." The man said walked behind her. "Earlier this week you told me that my art was trash…" He nodded to the plaque and Kurenai's eyes widened again.

"FIRST PLACE?!?!?!?!" Mikoto's eyes twitched. _Art obsessive…_

* * *

Tenten carried the overload of shopping bags on her back. She huffed angrily. She had wanted to go straight to Ino's apartment again and never come out, but she knew that Neji wouldn't pay her if she did.

She had finally come to the conclusion that all of Neji's relatives and family were hysteric and complete spazzatrons. She was completely exhausted from hanging out with Kurenai. Honestly, the woman was an art spazz.

Tenten raised an eyebrow at that thought and then shook her head. _She was a little too hyper today. _Her eyes widened. _Oh shit! Did I put too much sugar into her coffee?!?!?!?!?!?!_ She slapped herself on the head.

It was a good thing that she wasn't the real niece…

* * *

Sasuke was driving.

The meeting with Sakura had unsettled him. She was in the company building. The company building that Neji governed. And if Neji was there, she would want to visit him.

And there was the problem.

He sighed. The Hyuuga family distrusted her. As well as his mother and he. It was almost a miracle that Neji was able to show any expression on his face and even smile – although a small one. But miracles didn't last very long.

Sasuke remembered the day – three years ago. Neji had come back home during their "family reunion" dinners. He had gone upstairs without a word and had just lain on his bed. They never found out the news until it was flashed onto the TV screen and on the newspapers:

**HARUNO SAKURA: Big shot taking her first step to glory.**

And then it had shown a picture of her happy face and an interview slot about her training for the next tournament coming up.

He kept on driving until he spotted a girl. Her hair done in two buns. _Tenten_. He frowned. The Uchiha was debating whether to approach her or not and demand her explanation for being a fraud. He thought for a few moments.

At last he made his decision and stepped out of the car.

* * *

"How did it go?"

Silence. Moegi sighed. She had been asking the tennis player next to her for at least ten minutes of the car ride. They were on their way to practice now, but the girl could tell that she wouldn't be playing her top notch.

She took a deep breath and began to try again. "Sakura-"

"It went fine," Sakura said suddenly. "Fine…" Moegi raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Even now she was good at telling whether she was lying or not, but she could tell that she could be extremely sensitive at times too.

And although Moegi was an accomplish trainer, she knew to not push it. And besides that, Sakura had almost become an older sister to her as well. But she frowned at that thought.

_Even sisters hold secrets from each other too_.

* * *

"Tenten!"

The bun-haired girl turned around at the sound of her name and was surprised to find a familiar face. "Sasuke?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

He just shrugged and smirked at her. "Just saw you walking." He stared at the shopping bags. "What are _you_ doing?"

She took out a frozen package of pork buns. "Shopping for Uncle," she responded. "I don't know if he's ever tried Chinese style pork buns though…" she muttered. "I don't want to go back and have to return it…"

Sasuke smiled inwardly at her antics. "He likes trying new things," he stated. "Maybe he'll like it." He took the package from her hands and looked at it. "Chinese… style?" he murmured. He began walking.

Tenten nodded as she caught up to him. "They're good," she told him. She paused and then shrugged a bit. "I mean, _I_ like it. These kinds aren't as authentic as the ones from Hong Kong, but they're still pretty good…"

He raised an eyebrow. "So you've been all over the world, huh?" His tone seemed casual, but Tenten could detect a suspicious act in it. She gulped and tried to go with the flow.

"Oh yeah," she said. "I'm a tour guide…" She looked at him skeptically. "… as you might've known." She switched the shopping bags in her right hand to her left.

"So you can speak Chinese too?" he asked.

She nodded her head. "Yeah. After all I was born there." She thought and quickly added, "And I never left there."

Sasuke put the frozen bag back into the plastic shopping bag and stared at her. "But you know how to speak Japanese too," he pointed out. "Did you take classes back in… What was it? Hong Kong?"

"Err… Yeah!" she quickly agreed, uncomfortable where this conversation was going. It was clear that he was trying to get her to say something out of line. She narrowed her eyes and stopped. "Why are you asking me all these questions?" she demanded. "It's getting quite annoying, you know."

He raised an eyebrow. "I just wanted to get to know you better." He looked at the sky and noticed how the sun was going down soon. "It's dark." He turned to her. "Do you want to walk around a bit and get some dinner?"

She looked at him in surprise. "Know _me_…" She gestured to herself. "… better?"

The Uchiha smirked again. "Do you see anyone else around?"

Tenten found herself grinning. "Nah, but whatever." She looked at the time and had a feeling she wouldn't get to the household by dinner. "I'll eat with you…" she began. "… If you pay."

* * *

"What do you want?" Neji hissed. "You didn't even knock."

Shino sighed and folded his arms. Kiba was on him in a full sprint, however. "I so did knock! I-"

"Sorry," Chouji quickly cut off, giving Kiba a sideways glance. "Our apologies." Kiba whirled around and gaped at him as if he was a traitor.

"What are you doing, Chouji?!" he cried… err… shouted. "You're **apologizing** to the enemy!" He jabbed Neji's chest with one finger to further emphasize his point. The Hyuuga just growled and threw Kiba's arm back to him.

"You still haven't told me why you're here!"

"Well you see-" Chouji began.

"We haven't found your girlfriend for three weeks so far, dammit!" Kiba screeched. "We've come here to claim the money that she owes us!"

Neji sighed, his eye twitching. "I told you before: I have no relation whatsoever to Tenten-"

"But you know her name," Chouji pointed out. "So you've met her before… Correct? And that means…"

"… You're friends with her," Kiba ended nodding his head. "We're just here for around 900 thousand or so," he explained. "Now if you'd just pay us-"

"No," Neji quickly cut in. "I told you that she and I are not related. At… All." He raised an eyebrow as if calculating their intelligence span. "Understand?"

Kiba growled. "Stop being so stingy! You think we're going to believe you – Hyuuga Neji who is the president of the company over an innocent girl?" He scoffed. "You've got to be kidding-"

Neji sighed again. "She has a vulgar habit of lying…" he muttered to himself.

* * *

They pair both walked together through the streets, until Tenten stopped abruptly. She was looking at a television screen displayed on a store window. Identical TVs surrounded it displaying the same image. A crowd of people were gathered around.

On the screen was Haruno Sakura.

Tenten smiled sheepishly at the image and then sighed. "I don't know why, but it's strange seeing her everywhere on every single channel you turn on."

The boy next to her nodded and then smirked. "You want to know something?"

She looked at him awkwardly. "Eh?" He tugged her closer and bent down into her ear.

"I heard that she used to have a boyfriend," he told her. His voice was low so that only the two of them could hear. "But she dumped him awhile ago."

"Wow," Tenten said, lifting her head up again. "Really?" He nodded. She looked at the screen and sighed again. "I feel kinda bad for the boyfriend then," she admitted. "It must be tough seeing her all over the place."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows, but didn't comment on that. "Let's go," he told her. "Aren't you hungry?"

Taking a last look at the television, she followed Sasuke.

* * *

The two of them went to a nearby restaurant just around the corner. After a moment of gaping at its fanciness, she finally followed the Uchiha in.

They sat down at a table near the window. Tenten picked up a menu, shocked to find that it was all written in English. "Err…" Tenten began. She looked at Sasuke. "You _do_ know that this whole thing is in English… right?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Yeah, I do. Do you want a-"

"You know how to read English?" Tenten asked in awe. She slumped down and looked to see if she could decipher the drinks. "I'm impressed," she admitted sheepishly. She paused. "To be honest, I just thought you were a play boy."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the comment, but shrugged. "So what do you want to eat?" he asked again. "They have '_spaghetti'_…"

"What?" Tenten asked. "What is this _'sp-sphetti'_ you speak of?"

He just smirked at her pronunciation and answered, "They're noodles with some tomato sauce." He looked at her in a strange way. "You've never tried it before…?"

She snorted in response. "Well if I tried it, I probably would've _remembered_ the name, right?"

He nodded in agreement. "Touché." He gave a small smile. "So _'spaghetti'_, then?"

* * *

Neji and the debt collectors had finally gotten their views straight: Hyuuga Neji was not related _romantically_ to Tenten. Or family related or friend related. He was her boss. Nonetheless, Shino dragged Kiba out roughly (payback for what he had done to him beforehand) and Chouji apologizing prolifically before he stole the bag of chips on Neji's desk as he walked out.

And now Neji was back at home.

Wondering where the hell Tenten was.

He had taken out the garbage and was just standing there for what he had planned to be a minute… five at the most. But that minute (s) had slowly turned into twenty – five.

He frowned in the dark. Where was she? She should've been home by now. Kurenai had told him that she was off getting some pork buns for Uncle… apparently. He would've believed her, but she had told him that they were at an _art museum_.

And that, surprisingly, changed the whole thing.

Not only did he know Tenten well enough so far, but he was absolutely sure that she wasn't the type to just sit and stare at abstract pieces of paper for a whole two hours.

His eyes widened as he saw headlights from a blue convertible. _Sasuke's car_, he thinks. His eyes widen again as he sees Tenten and Sasuke chatting. Together. His frown deepens. Since when have they met before?

* * *

"Wow," Tenten laughed. "I wish that I could do nothing like you did and still earn money." She frowned. "It would make life much easier."

Sasuke shrugged again. "My mom forced me to get into the company." He pauses. "It still works fine even though I'm not there… I wonder how it would be if I left…?"

Tenten just smiled. "It would probably be slightly different, but life still goes on." She unbuckles her seatbelt as the car stops. She gets out of the car and then bows slightly to Sasuke.

"Thanks for the meal!" she says happily. "I hope we can do it again sometime-"

"Tenten!" She whirls around at the familiar voice and frowns. _Neji_, she thinks sarcastically. _Great_. "Where were you?" he hissed angrily. "Kurenai told me that you were out shopping. Do you-"

"I took her out for dinner, Neji." Sasuke's voice popped up as he stepped out of the car. He stood beside Tenten. The Hyuuga arched an eyebrow. "It's a long way from Chinatown to here," Sasuke reasoned. "She wouldn't have made it back in time for dinner."

Neji's frown was still intact, but he considered his thoughts again. He then took Tenten's arm roughly and bowed. "Thank you. Now if you will excuse us-"

Sasuke went over to Tenten, however, and gave her a genuine smile. "I hope we can do this again sometime too," he said to her.

Tenten grinned in response and was about to answer when the man next to her grunted. She frowned at this. "Alright, Neji, we'll go inside." She rolled her eyes exasperated and waved a farewell to Sasuke. "Until next time!"

* * *

"What was that?" Neji exclaimed. "What were you doing with him?"

"Jeez, Neji!" she said quickly. "Calm down, would you? I just bumped into him on my way home-"

"Right," he cut in skeptically. "You can't just go out and have dinner _alone_ with him – or anyone else. I can't always be there to keep you in line and make sure you don't spill the lie-"

"I can do fine on my own!" Tenten snapped back. She fumed at the way he was treating her. "I admit that he asked me questions at the beginning…" Neji opened his mouth, but she quickly cut through. "… But that doesn't mean he's suspicious. He even said that he wanted to get to know me better-"

"Yeah," Neji snorted. "'Getting to know you better' as in 'Getting in your pants'-"

She was taken aback at what he had said about his _own friend_. Her eyes narrowed. "What is your problem?!" Tenten cried. "I just went out and ate…" She frowned trying to remember the word. "Err… _'spaghetti'_ with him." She stared at him. "What's the big deal?"

"The 'big deal' is that you could've spilt something – anything to him!" he explained angrily. "Sasuke isn't stupid. He-" Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Neji," she cut in brashly. "I don't mean to be rude, but _I'm_ the one who's lying. _You're_ not." She huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I think I know what I'm _doing_, for starters – I can take care of myself."

He rolled his eyes this time. "Sure you can," he muttered sarcastically. He glared at her. "I'll have you know that your 'debt collector friends' came by my office." He smirked at her shocked expression. "Take care of yourself? I think you've let your lies get out of hand."

Tenten didn't say anything, her eyes darting from one side to the other, trying to sort out her thoughts. _They came by his office…? What…? Does… Does he know? _Neji stared at her, waiting for her to say something. But when she didn't, he went back up the stairs leaving Tenten behind.

* * *

He closed the door roughly and sat down in front of the computer. He was definitely concerned about what had conspired between Tenten and Sasuke. It was obvious that she might have dropped something. Neji knew Sasuke wasn't stupid, and that he would catch on sooner or later.

Not only that, but it had made him think of a conversation that the both of them had a while ago…

_Sasuke smirked as he too also breathed heavily. He looked at Neji. "Yeah… I just… I just met someone."_

_He raised an eyebrow. "A girl, most likely."_

"_Yeah," Sasuke replied. He gave off a rare smile. "She can be a bit cocky, but she can… She can be fun to be around with."_

Neji frowned at this sudden flashback, but chose not to pursue it. He couldn't help thinking though… Had Sasuke and Tenten met beforehand? Was she that "girl" Sasuke had mentioned before? His eyes narrowed. He couldn't help but feel unsettled by these thoughts.

* * *

Tenten, meanwhile, had finally made it up the stairs – still confused on the last part Neji had said. She chose to shrug it off temporarily. It was late and she was tired.

She took a quick shower and then jumped on her bed. She laid there for twenty minutes without feeling any drowsiness of any kind. At last she sighed and sat up, scratching her head. She went to small night table at the side of her bed and opened a drawer. She took her pocket book out.

Tenten flipped through her previous calculations. It was a habit of hers. When she couldn't fall asleep, she would always try to think of more ways to make money. Yes, it was a bad habit. No, she didn't think she would change it anytime soon.

But at last she skipped all of the calculations and ended on a blank page. Taking her pencil she wrote the word "GOALS" and underlined it three times. And she wrote thus:

- Pay back the debt.  
- Live in the small house that _Neji_ (-cough-)owns w/ family.  
- Fall in love and get married.

At last Tenten smiled to herself and nodded her head in agreement to all three. She would definitely complete all of these by the time she reunited with her father again.

She fell asleep imagining her and the rest of her family living a rich life in that red and white bungalow by the sea.

* * *

**A/N.** Neh... Sasuke seems a little _too_ OOC, I realize. Ah well… I shall try to fix it, but I'm not that big of a Sasuke fan, see.

Not sure if I will have Sasuke and Sakura end up together because… I don't really like it much and the other 2 people don't get together in the show.  
But I still don't know. So just give off some views.

**Thanks to those who read & reviewed. Or just read. That's ok too. Thank you for 120 reviews. :)**

_aizuhime_  
_Esperwen_  
_Matahari_  
_Spetiane_  
_Princess of Stroms_  
_alliwant_  
_dragonkyuubi101_  
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_Ice Phnix_  
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_mysterymaiden7_  
_Shinko666_  
_Hatake Megumi_  
_Pyro – Momo_  
_Killer Asian on the Loose_  
_AngeChen _


	15. saying the wrong thing

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and is in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

But at last, she skipped all of the calculations and landed on a blank page. Taking her pencil, she wrote the word "GOALS" and underlined it three times. And she wrote thus:

- Pay back the debt.  
- Live in the small house that _Neji_ owns w/ family.  
- Fall in love and get married.

At last Tenten smiled to herself and nodded her head in agreement to all three. She would definitely complete all of these by the time she reunited with her father again.

She fell asleep imagining her and her family living a rich life in that red bungalow by the sea.

* * *

Tenten did her best to avoid Hyuuga Neji throughout the entire day. She stayed with Hiashi, reading the newspapers and handing him some of the Chinese pork buns she had bought yesterday. They even played a few rounds of Chinese checkers and Tenten… Well, Tenten always lost.

She only left the room once Neji had left for the office. She sighed in relief and reveled in her fury from his overreaction last night. Did she mention that Neji was such a spazz? Oh well. She'd say it again: Neji was such a spazz.

The girl went off into the kitchen and took the teapot into her hands. She reached into the cabinet for Hiashi's cup and poured him another cup of tea. Even now she didn't get what the big deal was. Ok, sure she went off with Sasuke for dinner, but he offered it. It would be rude to not accept it. Plus, she'd be late for dinner anyway if she returned home at that time.

She slammed the teapot down angrily. It was not only that! Does he know what it feels like to be cooped up in this house all day with Asuma's watchful eye and talking to Hiashi about piano lessons WHICH SHE DID NOT EVEN TAKE?

In fact, the only time she ever gets to go outside is when Hiashi is taking his nap in the room. Even then she only goes to Ino's apartment. She doesn't even dare to try and spend her money on eating in a fancy little café. Tenten has the debt to worry about.

"He's a bad man!" she yelled to herself angrily. She downed the cup of tea in one chug, ignoring her scalding tongue as she tried to soothe her nerves. "I'm not a freaking maid, dammit! I am Tenten and I'm-" Her eyes widened in realization as she stared at the cup. "Crap!" It was Hiashi's tea she was drinking.

Now she had to wash it. _Damn._ It was the only cup the old guy used and now she _drank_ from it. Tenten gave off a sigh. She could be doing so many things right now, but she's stuck in a house washing a cup.

A CUP, people.

"Darn my luck," she whispered to herself hotly. How she longed to go outside and inhale the… Wait. She raised an eyebrow and scrutinized that thought. It was cold outside. Her eyes widened and she rolled them again.

_I must be really desperate to actually WANT to go outside._

She went back into the room with Hiashi's cup of tea and sat down, picking up the newspaper as well. She sighed at the headlines. Another Haruno Sakura. She could say that she was a bit envy of the girl, but she respected her.

She had gotten to where she was through hard work! But she silently hated her for she was missing twelve – TWELVE – of her drama shows in the past two or three weeks. All of the TV stations were cluttered with news about the young tennis player. Tenten sighed. Now she'll never know if Tongao will get together with Tianyu **(14)**.

Hiashi noticed her sigh and asked, "What's wrong?"

Tenten was startled by her thoughts, and she laughed sheepishly. "Oh, it's nothing, Uncle," she said quickly. "It's just that all of the headlines are the same these days…" She settled down in her seat and held up the paper. "Anyways, Haruno Sakura – "

She paused.

She looked at Hiashi. "Is something wrong… Uncle?" The man had gone silent and his eyebrows were knitted together in concentration. He didn't answer her. "Uncle?" she prompted again. "Is something the matter?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing, Kit– Tenten." A pause. "I'm getting tired. Why don't you go do something else while I'm sleeping?"

Tenten raised an eyebrow, but didn't pursue. "Ok…" she muttered, placing the paper down. "If that's what you want…"

She got up and closed the door behind her. Was it her fault? What did she do wrong?

"Maybe I shouldn't read the paper to him anymore," she muttered to herself. "He seemed pretty hostile…"

She wandered down the long corridor and stopped at the portrait of her "parents." She looked at them. The woman had long hair, her eyes having the same white eyes as Neji. She frowned. _I wonder what happened between her and Hiashi that made her run away…_

* * *

Hyuuga Neji was sitting in his office.

Hyuuga Neji was not stupid. He was, in fact, an (egotistic) intelligent man. He knew that Tenten was avoiding him the whole day. Not only that, but he knows for sure that she didn't know about what he knew and that he knew what she didn't know which was he avoiding her as well, because he knew about what she knew about what both of them knew last night which was both of them knowing that they were right and thinking that each other were wrong.

His attention turned to the fax machine which was actually working for once. He got up and took the sheet of paper out. His eyes widened at the picture. _So this is what Hinata was talking about_, he thought. His brows furrowed as his eyes scanned over two girls. She was right. Neji couldn't even tell which girl was which.

But he ignored that fact for now and glanced at two figures. One had silver hair with a mask over his face, the other with a scar on his nose. He would find these two people and interrogate them on what happened that day. Hinata was returning and would hand him their names, he knew.

Neji took the picture and the newspaper obituary into the first desk and closed it shut. He was still thinking of a way to possibly make it up to Tenten. He had a feeling she was the type that, if provoked, would kick him in the shins and then slam the door on him. The Hyuuga needed her to stay for Hiashi, even if he was practically in full health now. At least… that's what he told himself.

He admitted that the first 3 hours of being at home in the morning had felt awkward without seeing Tenten around once. ONCE. The only thing that he could hear / see of her was her buoyant voice coming from his Uncle's room.

Sure, he admitted that he had overreacted the night before, but they couldn't risk the lie getting to Sasuke. Neji knew that he was a driven person and that he would inform everyone if he knew. He had to keep an eye on Tenten. She could slip up anything at any moment.

Things would be ok once he found the real niece.

In truth, he could understand why Hiashi was so keen on finding the niece all these years. It was his fault. He had driven his sister away just because she had fallen in love with a man that did not possess the traits that were needed to be a "good" husband. But she had fallen in love anyway. And they ran away.

They ran away and lived in Japan. But then the earthquake happened. And… she had passed away along with her husband. But the niece wasn't found in the wreckage, and Hiashi was determined that she was still alive. The man had been devastated when he had found out.

And things were never really the same again.

* * *

Kurenai was sitting in front of the TV. Crying her eyes out.

It was a sappy drama. It was a corny drama. It was a drama where the girl leaves the guy after being sick of the guy leaving her all alone so she just does it and it's so sad but then she comes back like the guy didn't and they kiss and make up at the end anyway.

But Kurenai was still crying.

She had chosen to watch this drama since one of her favorite actresses was in it. The scenery was just perfect too. A blizzard with snow landscape. There was a single black car with some handsome lad holding the door open for the lady. But then another not-so-handsome lad was standing off to the side, hidden away.

But then when the car starts its engines, the not-so-handsome man steps out from behind the tree and the woman catches a glimpse of him. Tears fall from her eyes and she says sorry. But she gets in the car anyway and then they drive away. _That's_ when the other guy comes out and starts chasing the car.

Haha. Ok. First, why did the guy chase the car WHEN he had a perfect chance of chasing it when it wasn't moving. And why did he reveal himself AFTER the car started its engines? The world may never know…

But anyways, Kurenai was crying and cursing all the while for forgetting to bring herself a trash can to deposit her used tissues. She got up to get one when she spotted Asuma by the doorway… CRYING?! Her eyes widened.

"Are you…" She gave him a weird look. "Are you _crying_?" she asked incredulously. She bent down to meet his eyes and gasped. Holy shit. He was! "You're crying!" she cried out, stating the obvious. "I can't believe you-"

"I was watching," he cut in. He sighed a little at the TV. "I always cry at the same parts of this movie," he said sadly. Kurenai's eyes widened. She did too!

"I know," she agreed solemnly. "It's so sad in the movie…" She forgot about getting the trash can and instead sat back down. She motioned Asuma to sit down as well… if he wanted to that is.

"But it's even more sad in real life," Asuma muttered. He noticed the invitation and sat down as well.

-

_The same snow landscape. Large flakes were falling down through the trees as a young man saw a woman with red eyes and black hair nearby a car with another man. Kurenai. She looked at where she knew Asuma was standing and her eyes gave a sad look. "I'm sorry."_

_She dropped her umbrella as she went into the car with the other man as Asuma "finally" got to his senses and began to chase after her._

_(- cough -) That was cheesy._

-

Asuma shook his head suddenly. "That was cheesy?" he said aloud.

"What?" Kurenai cried. "You think it's cheesy?" Asuma quickly shook his head no.

* * *

It turned out that Asuma and Kurenai were watching the drama together throughout the entire day. And also throughout the night. Now, what is the problem with this? Well…

"Where's dinner?" Tenten piped up. "I'm starving." Neji looked over at her distastefully, but held his tongue. Gosh she was so impatient! Impatient and beyond, really!

Hiashi smiled awkwardly at her and then turned his attention back to the kitchen. "I'm not sure," the man admitted. "But Gai and Lee are making dinner today. Perhaps - ?" Hiashi looked around.

Where did they go?

* * *

Sakura was in a fancy restaurant. Her cell phone was in front of her. Even now she was afraid to actually talk to Neji. From the last moment they talked, he seemed pretty bitter towards her.

She had achieved her goal, but it wasn't really achieved if the person she liked didn't even acknowledge it. Plus, they were interrupted the last time. Maybe they could talk in a more secluded place… Maybe…

Sakura nodded her head. "I'm ready," she whispered to herself out loud. She picked up the cell phone and dialed Neji's number. It rung and rung, but then the operator's voice could be heard in it.

She raised an eyebrow. "Why isn't he answering?" she muttered. She dialed the number again.

* * *

"Can you believe it?" Tenten cried. "He said that GAI and LEE were making dinner." The two of them were at a restaurant. It was pretty simple. Not too fancy and not too run-down either. Tenten could even bet that she could pay for her own meal.

It was a relatively crowded area, but there were a handful of tables that were empty. Plus, Tenten and Neji were only two people anyways, so how hard could it be?

The girl tapped her fingers on the wooden table and gave Neji an inquiring look. "Do _you_ think they can cook really well?"

Neji rolled his eyes. "Hn."

"Yeah," she agreed, nodding her head. "I thought so. If they cooked dinner, everything would probably end up green." A pause. "But I don't have a big thing against them… Well, they can be a bit annoying… But – AHHHH! Whatever." She picked up her menu. "We might as well eat here."

His cell phone rang and Neji picked it up. He frowned at the name that was displayed on the screen and just left it on the table faced down. Tenten raised an eyebrow from his antics. The vibrations from the cell phone were making it shake against the wood, creating an irritating sound.

"Uh… Neji?" Tenten began. "Aren't you going to pick it up?"

No answer.

"Uh… Neji – " She stopped. The cell phone had gone silent again. She shrugged as she went back to her menu, but the phone had begun to vibrate again. She looked at Neji expecting him to do something.

Neji grunted. Tenten raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes. "Ok, Mr. Grumpy," she snorted. "Let's see… I'll probably have some rice with err…" But her voice was drowned out by the announcer on the TV that was attached to the wall:

"**Haruno Sakura is in Korea, everyone! We have received live footage from the time she has gotten off the plane. Of course…**"

Tenten sighed again. "Wow." She raised her eyebrows. "I wouldn't be surprised if they canceled my favorite TV show because of this." Another sigh. She didn't watch it for about a week now due to Korea's victory in the tennis games. She looked over at Neji who was obviously taking an interest in the pink–haired girl.

She shook her head. The Hyuuga Neji getting attracted to someone? Well, this is a first for her.

"You know," she began. "Sasuke told me she used to have a boyfriend." She saw him stiffen and she frowned in confusion. She continued, watching his strange reactions. "But he also told me she dumped him to pursue her dream."

She looked back up at the TV. "I feel bad for the boyfriend," Tenten muttered, mostly to herself. Neji heard her, though. The cell phone kept on ringing. "I mean, she's all over the place. The newspapers, the radio, the TV – everywhere!" A pause. "It must be hard for him to see her everywhere." She laughed lightly to herself. "I haven't been able to look at her right ever since Sasuke told me that…" She trailed off.

"I highly doubt that the 'boyfriend' would want your pity," Neji said jerkily. Tenten glared at the way he was reacting.

"But it's the boyfriend's fault too," she protested "I mean – the only reason she probably _dumped_ him was because he didn't agree with her to go for her dream or something…I mean... He could be a lot more supportive of what _she _wanted, you know? I highly doubt that she just decided to walk out on him like that I mean..."

Neji narrowed his eyes at what she was saying. The cell phone vibrated again and he growled, picking it up. "What?" he said unemotionally. Tenten stared at him. Silence then a, "Fine."

He got up. "Let's go," he said.

"What?!" Tenten cried. "But I haven't even eaten-"

"Let's go!" he repeated, harsher this time.

Tenten quickly got up and followed him to the car. "What's his problem?" she muttered to herself, angrily. "All I said was a few words – What's the big deal?" But she got into the car.

* * *

They drove on in silence until they reached their – his – destination. Neji got out of the car quickly and turned to her. "Wait for me here," he ordered. "This will be quick."

"Neji, you –" She watched him run inside. "I'M HUNGRY!" she yelled. But she knew he couldn't hear her.

* * *

Neji walked into the restaurant on the second floor. He searched around for Sakura and found her relatively quickly. Her hair was hard to miss. It was a prestigious restaurant and it was a lot less full than the other one. He could see why she wanted them to meet here.

He walked up to Sakura. The girl lifted her head and she released her breath that she didn't know she was holding. She smiled at him. "I'm glad you came," she said softly.

"You wanted to talk?" He ignored what she said and sat down.

"Yes," she said. She bit the bottom of her lip as she played with the table napkin. Silence. "Have you eaten?" she asked. "We could order something –"

"I don't plan on staying long," he quickly cut in. Sakura gulped nervously.

"Well, we were interrupted last time and…" She took a deep breath. "I was wondering if we could start over. I never meant to leave you those three years ago. It was my fault and…" she trailed off. "I was just caught up in my dream and…" She looked at him. "Well, you should understand, right? I talked to you about it."

Neji simply nodded her head. "Yes," he admitted. "You did."

"… Well?" she prompted. "Maybe we could –"

He shook his head. "We can't."

* * *

Tenten scoffed in the car. "Five minutes my foot!" she muttered angrily. "Jeez…" She looked out of the window. "What's taking so damn long? Gosh… He could've gone alone but NOOOOOOOO! I had to get dragged along too!"

She looked at the watch in the car. "Feh…" she hissed. "Twenty – five minutes is quick?" She looked back at the door again. "You've got to be kidding, Neji!" The girl slumped back into the car seat. "I could just sleep right here if I wanted to," she mumbled. "But I haven't even EATEN yet…"

She considered ditching Neji and just getting something to eat on herself, but she shook her head. She probably might not be able to make it back to the household quickly afterwards…

* * *

"Why… not?" Sakura asked. "Why can't we…"

"We just can't," Neji said firmly. "What we had was three years ago. It's in the past."

"Is it…?" Her grip on the napkin grew tighter. "Have you – Have I really changed that much, Neji?" Silence. "… Well?" she prompted. "Aren't you going to say something…?"

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I have to go." He got out of his seat.

"What?" she cried. "Wait – Neji!" She got out of her seat as well as she ran to catch up with him.

* * *

"That's it!" Tenten cried. "I'm going in!"

She got out of the car and went into the building. She stopped at the elevator and looked at the directory map nearby. "Now…" she mumbled. "Where is Neji most likely going to be…?" Her eyes drifted to the second floor, however. A restaurant! "That's where I would want to go," he muttered. "But-"

The elevator doors opened and Tenten looked at the people coming out. A man with long brown hair came out. Neji! Her eyes lit up, but then she frowned. Who was that girl with him though…? Wait… Is that… Haruno Sakura?!

Tenten hid behind the directory map. If Neji caught her here she would be so DEAD.

"Why can't we start over, Neji?" Sakura's voice met her ears. _Start over…?_ Tenten narrowed her eyes in confusion. _What is she talking about…?_

"We can't, Sakura." Neji. "We had a relationship three years ago, but that was then. This is now." A pause. "Things have changed. _We_ have changed."

"Have we…?" Sakura again. "We were so happy back then, Neji…" Silence. Her voice grew a little hostile. "Do you love someone else, now? Is that it? Neji – Are you with another person?"

"…"

The conversation came to a halt right there. Neji remained silent and Sakura was staring at him, waiting for his answer. Tenten, however, did not notice these things for she was processing what she had heard: Start over… relationship… three years ago… Love… Her eyes widened in realization. This means...

_"I highly doubt that the 'boyfriend' would want your pity..."_

"Oh shit," she whispered. She leaned back further on the directory board in bewilderment.

_Neji_ was the boyfriend?

* * *

**(14)** These are two characters from another drama titled _The Prince Who Turn Into a Frog_. I'm thinking about creating a story for this one, but I haven't gotten the details down. It's a Chinese drama.  
( My mom watches all of these – It's not what you think, truce buddy... )

* * *

**A/N. **I have a favorite line. Guess what that line is. I'll reveal it… next time.

I also took time to re-edit some chapters. I didn't change any words, really. Just the style on how they were written. Hopefully it looks a lot neater than it used to. XD  
As for Sasuke and Sakura, I've decided to give an open-ending for them. Fanatics can elaborate if they wish.

**Random:** If I had a favorite character in the story so far, it would be Kiba. XD

**Thanks to those who read and reviewed. Or just read. That's cool.**

_Shikyo Yaiba_  
_Spetiane_  
_Shadow – Ninja – Fay_  
_alliwant_  
_Ice Phnix_  
_aizuhime_  
_Blossoms of Spring_  
_Hatake Megumi_  
_AngeChen_  
_iheartyu.xD_  
_Pyro – Momo_  
_earthlover_  
_sorrowangel823_  
_Shinko666 _**-Thanks for the review. XD I re-edit a lot to make sure conversations are smooth. I'm glad it paid off.**  
_copycattacypoc _**- Happy Chinese New Year to you too, truce buddy. :D**


	16. impersonating

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and is in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

The conversation came to a halt right there. Neji remained silent and Sakura was staring at him, waiting for an answer. Tenten, however, did not notice these things for she was processing what she had heard: Start over… relationship… three years ago… Love… Her eyes widened in realization. This means…

"_I highly doubt that the 'boyfriend' would want your pity…"_

"Oh shit," she whispered. She leaned back further on the directory board in bewilderment.

_Neji_ was the boyfriend?

* * *

Finally, Neji's voice could be heard. "It's late, Sakura. You should go now." There was silence from both parties except for Tenten's rapid breathing. Damn… She shouldn't have said those things back at the restaurant. _Now he probably hates me…_

She heard someone walk away. Sakura most likely. Or was it Neji? It could be Neji… Oh shit… MAYBE IT WAS. She frowned and cupped her chin to think. _Maybe if I could just sneak out of the area, I can make it back to the car without Neji ever finding out. But he's-_

"Tenten."

"Whuh… uh…?"

She whipped around and found Neji staring back at her.

"…"

"…"

"…?"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

She made a maimed squeak as slammed back against the directory board again in alarm. The board tipped a bit from the shock of impact and Neji quickly extended a hand to keep it steady. Neither of them said anything until Tenten relaxed again, her arms dangling from her body without any sense of hostility.

"What are you doing here?"

She winced at his tone of voice. Man. He must be pissed. She bit her lip, wondering what she should say next. She couldn't deny that she didn't hear the conversation exchange right then. But it wasn't like she could go, "Hey! You really screwed up dating a celebrity, ne?"

She looked at him. He looked back.

"…"

"…"

"…?" _Well?_

"You were taking so long!" she blurted out immediately, as though the she never witnessed the scene in front of her. "I was waiting in the car all the time!" She huffed angrily. "If you had to meet someone, why did you bring me along, HUH? I could've paid for my own food, you know!"

He smirked at her but shrugged. "There's still time to eat," he stated. "Let's go." The Hyuuga had felt embarrassed knowing that she had witnessed the conversation, but since she was pretending like it was nothing, so would he. Neji began to walk away, uncaring, but Tenten grabbed his arm. He gave her a strange look and… she gave him a strange look back. She honestly didn't know what possessed her to do that but… She took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

He raised an eyebrow and didn't say anything.

She twitched at his silent state. "Well?!" she shrieked. "I SAID I WAS SORRY! I'm sorry for saying those things and I'm sorry that I came here and accidentally eavesdropped on your conversation and I'm sorry I didn't run out of the car when I had the chance!" She was out of breath by the time she was done.

He shook his head at her and pried her grip away from his arm. "Forget it," he mumbled. "Let's go and eat something."

"What?" Tenten mumbled. "Did you say –" She stopped herself. _Just keep it like this_, she thought hastily. He obviously doesn't want to talk about it anyway. _I apologized to him… That should be enough._

She ran to catch up to him.

She hoped it would be.

* * *

Sakura walked along the streets, a bit depressed and also a bit relieved. She had talked to him, and he had answered. The girl frowned at that. But it wasn't the answer she had really wanted to hear.

She kept on walking to the hotel. Moegi was probably waiting there and was going to reprimand her for just walking out like that. But… She sighed. It was clear that Neji didn't want anything to do with her anymore. It was clear.

But she couldn't help notice how his eyes still hurt when he tried to look at her. Sakura couldn't take him seriously if he wasn't even looking at her in the eye. But then again, it wasn't like she wasn't having trouble looking at him too.

She had felt a lot of things in that conversation. Anger, regret, confusion, but most of all… She felt frustrated.

For as long as she had known Neji, she had never known him to be this stiff; to be this inexpressive. There was always a lightness that graced his features when she set eyes on him. But it was long gone and replaced with a face that had been etched with worry, coarse over the years of stress and among other things that she couldn't figure out.

She sighed as she went back to the suite she was residing in. She needed a drink.

* * *

Sasuke had flipped open his cell phone and looked for Tenten's name through his address book. He frowned as he realized that she had not called him yet. "Why not?" he muttered to himself. "I gave her my number that time…"

He hit himself mentally. Well it wasn't like she was going to take it seriously if it was scribbled on a band-aid. But he shrugged. He would stop by the Hyuuga household tomorrow or something and give it to her again.

* * *

The next day, Tenten clambered down the stairs and was surprised to find everybody in the household awake. She hit herself mentally. They weren't supposed to be awake at this time!

Kurenai spotted her as she peeled an orange. "Hello, Tenten!" she called out cheerfully. "Sorry about dinner last night…" She exchanged a knowing look from Asuma. "We were sort of preoccupied with a drama on TV," she explained. "I hope that you aren't sick – I mean you aren't tired from eating their…" She sighed. "Oh forget it."

Asuma shrugged indifferently, but eyed Tenten as he looked at her clothes. "Going somewhere?" he mused.

Tenten just shook her head no quickly. "Err… I was just going outside to get the paper," she explained slowly, choosing her words carefully. "It's what I do everyday and stuff…?"

The man laughed. "I get the paper everyday, Tenten." He watched her stiffen at his words. "But it doesn't matter," he added. "You can tell us. Where were you going?"

She bit her lip, thinking of a solution. "I went to visit my foster dad!" she blurted out.

At that moment, Hyuuga Neji came into the room. His eyes were narrowed and he glared at Tenten. She sweat dropped at his dark aura and scooted a little bit closer to Kurenai. What the hell did I do wrong this time?! She thought angrily. But she found out what soon enough.

"Your father is here in Korea?" Hiashi asked with wonder. "Perhaps I can meet him one time, hmmm?" He gave Tenten an inquiring look. "What do you think?"

Her eyes widened in panic. "Err… I think it's… err…" _I THINK IT'S CRAZY!_

"He would not want to be troubled by you Uncle." Neji's baritone voice could be heard. "He's probably here for vacation," he reasoned. "Tenten will be leaving once he decides to go." Hiashi's grin faltered. Kurenai finished peeling the orange and handed it to Tenten.

"Try some," she said. "They taste excellent."

Tenten took a piece and ate it. Her eyes brightened. "It's good!" she cried happily. "Really good!" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Neji roll his eyes.

Kurenai smiled knowingly. "They come from the island east of here," she explained. "You should try the ones there once you get the chance."

Tenten shrugged and waved her hand at the thought as she ate another piece. "I already tried them before."

Kurenai froze. Hiashi raised an eyebrow. Asuma narrowed his eyes. Neji glared at Tenten even more.

She laughed nervously. "Eh… heh… I mean…" She looked at Neji and then jutted an accusing finger at him. "Brother took me there once!" she lied.

Hiashi was intrigued. "He met you on the island?"

"Err…"

"No." The prodigy's voice was the loudest. "We… did… not… meet… there…" he gritted out slowly, as if they were too dumb to understand. He turned to Tenten and gestured to the door with his eyes. She nodded and then bid good-bye to the relatives. She would thank Neji later.

* * *

Tenten went into Ino's apartment and dumped her things on the ground. She yawned as she cracked her neck to the right, releasing it of its stiffness.

Ino gave her a brief glance and a wave, for she was trying to perfect the ways of cooking scrambled eggs. Shikamaru was off to the side, his head strewn on the table, trying to go to sleep. But it was a futile effort and Tenten chuckled at how he tried to suppress his gagging. He knew he was the one who was going to be trying those eggs.

Naruto crashed down the stairs. "Tenten!" he cried out. "I was starting to wonder where you've gone," he told her. He scratched his cheek. "Ne, Tenten. What have you been doing the whole time?"

The girl chuckled as she sat down at the kitchen table, diagonal from Shikamaru. "It's been tough," she confessed. She scratched her head as she leaned back in the wooden seat. "I never thought it would be _this_ hard," she admitted. "But I always get so jumpy when Neji's around. I mean – Seriously! That guy can glare holes in your head!"

"'Holes in your head'?" Naruto mumbled softly. He sympathized for Tenten, but even he knew what sarcasm was.

She snapped up from her seat. "Uh, yeah!" she shouted. "Not to mention that Hiashi guy questions my every move and-"

Shikamaru stirred and muttered, "Troublesome noise…" Ino came by and whacked him on the head.

"Did you hear the juicy gossip?" she cried. "I hear that that tennis celebrity – Haruno Sakura – was spotted in a restaurant the other day with a _man_!" Tenten felt her stomach convulse. Ino raised an eyebrow at her weird demeanor, but shrugged it off. "She's obviously in some kind of relationship with that guy but-"

"Did they say who he was?" Tenten interrupted. "Did the paper say anything?"

Ino shook her head. "No," she stated, and then scoffed. "Lousy reporters. They don't know what-"

"Whew," the brunette muttered, ignoring what Ino was about to say. "I was afraid Hiashi was going to kill me on that one…" She looked up and sighed at the questioning face of Ino. "I mean," she explained. "He obviously has some grudge against that lady. Who knows what happened between –"

She was interrupted by the vibrating of her cell phone and turned pale at the name on the screen.

Speak of the devil.

Ino went back to her eggs, seeing how she was preoccupied. Naruto went to get a glass of water before resuming to his position on the kitchen counter. Shikamaru took on a different sleeping position by lying back on his wooden seat.

Tenten, meanwhile, still had the gruesome face impaled on her. "Damn it all…" she muttered. "How the hell did he manage to find my number…?" He was NEVER supposed to call her during this time. NEVER.

Ino took up a new egg, seeing how the last one got burnt. "Who's calling?" she asked.

Tenten ignored her as she quickly flipped the phone opened and said cheerfully into it, "Hi Uncle Hiashi!"

Silence. And then…

Shikamaru opened his eyes in shock and nearly fell out of his seat. Naruto spat out the gulp of water that he had just put in his mouth. Ino cracked the egg wrong and the shells went into the bowl. Tenten glared at them and mouthed, 'Don't make such a damn fuss!"

She snapped back to attention as she fingered the keychain at the end of her cell. "Err… Nothing's wrong, Hia – Uncle!" she persisted. "Everything's fine over here!" A pause as her eyebrows furrowed. And then her eyes cleared. "Uh… Yeah!" she said, quickly agreeing to something. "I'm at my dad's house." Ino put down her spatula and walked over. Even Shikamaru was listening intently.

"You what?!" she nearly shrieked. A pause. Her eyes widened.

"You want to talk to my dad?!"

* * *

Hyuuga Neji walked past his Uncle's room, but froze as he heard a snippet of conversation on the telephone.

"Yes, Tenten," he heard him say. "Can you please ask your father to come to the phone?" A pause. "I have matters to discuss with him." Another pause and Neji almost breached his unemotional demeanor at what came next. "What do you mean he's in the bathroom?!"

He made a choking sound and Hiashi turned around. It was then that Neji snapped back to his old self and realized the urgency of the current situation. He coughed loudly and Hiashi muttered, "Hold on dear, Neji wants to talk." He placed a hand over the receiver and looked at his nephew. "Yes?"

Neji nodded to the phone. "I don't know if Tenten would like her father meeting you. I-"

"That's all you want to say?" Hiashi cried incredulously. He waved the prodigy out with his hand. "I want to see if Tenten can stay longer…" he explained, but grinned lightly. "Ah, Tenten!" he cried. "Is your father done doing his…" A cough. "… business?"

Neji slapped his face for the first time in his life.

* * *

He still wanted to talk to him?! Her mind screeched in panic. Ino and Shikamaru were huddled close by the phone. Only Naruto remained unresponsive to the whole scene.

"Err… Of course he's done with his business…!" Tenten looked around and her eyes settled on Naruto. She quickly yanked him down ( "What are you-GACK!" ) and shoved the phone into his hands. He stared dumbfounded at the phone and then turned to Tenten. He mouthed, 'What do I say?!?!?!'

She mouthed back to Naruto, 'Just say something!'

* * *

"Ah!" Hiashi cried. "You must be Tenten's father. Listen, I was wondering if she could stay longer. I hope it's not too much trouble…" He trailed off. Silence. "Eh?" he muttered. "You didn't know?" He shrugged.

"I'm sure she can explain it to you afterwards," he stated. "Do you mind if she resided in the Hyuuga household for a while longer?"

Naruto gulped. "Uh…" he began. Ino sat close by, her ear against the phone. She turned to Tenten.

"He wants to know if you want to stay longer!" she whispered coarsely.

Tenten's eyes widened as she looked for a piece of paper and a pencil. She quickly wrote down the words '**YES**' and '**NO**' on it. She quickly circled the word "no" on her pad of paper. Naruto looked at the pad and trailed, "Noooo…" But Tenten realized her mistake and circled "yes" instead, fully. "I mean yessss!" the boy corrected hastily.

* * *

Hiashi smiled. "That's good," he said. He turned to Neji and gave him a knowing glance. He turned his attention back to the phone.

"How about you and I meet one day…? I'm sure we have things to discuss…"

* * *

Ino turned to Tenten again. "He wants to know if the father and him can meet!" she said to her.

Tenten quickly circled the word 'no'… Or so she thought.

"Yesssss…?" Naruto muttered in question to her antics. Tenten shook her head rapidly and circled the 'no' choice so hard that the tip of her pencil broke. "I mean NOOOOOOOOO!" Naruto bellowed quickly. Tenten made a quick snapping motion with her hands and, fortunately, he understood the message as he quickly snapped the phone shut.

"What the hell, Tenten?!" he cried.

* * *

Hiashi stared awkwardly at the phone that had gone dead in his hand. He grumbled as he slammed it down. Neji smirked, but he quickly made it disappear as Hiashi turned to look at him.

"He was a strange man," he confided. "All he said was either 'yes' or 'no.'"

Neji just shrugged and shook his head. He felt relieved either way. He didn't know how Tenten did it, but…

Their secret was safe for now.

* * *

"Why did he think that your father was here?" Ino asked incredulously. "What did you tell him, Tenten?!"

"I-I…" she blubbered. She sighed. "I was trying to get out of the house but then everybody was awake and then I couldn't leave because Uncle was awake and everyone else was awake so I couldn't just leave but they noticed that I was trying to leave and they asked me where I was going and that was the first idea that popped into my head!" she explained nervously. "I didn't know what else to say!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Even saying that you were going to get some ramen for breakfast would've been a BETTER idea!"

For once Ino nodded her head in agreement. She whacked Shikamaru on the head to do the same. The brunette rolled her eyes.

* * *

Tenten had exited the apartment shortly after, and began going to the market to get more steamed buns for Uncle. She grinned, glad that he appreciated them. But then she frowned. Neji didn't appreciate them. Instead he felt that they were "overly packed with meat produce and doesn't have enough nutrients." She shrugged the comment off anyways. He wasn't an authentic Chinese person, so she could see how his sour attitude had formed.

She fingered the new cell phone in her hands. She had bumped into Sasuke earlier that day. He asked her why she hadn't been calling him and well… She lied. Tenten told him that she didn't have a cell phone when IN TRUTH, she lost his number anyways. So he gave his cell phone to her.

"Gah!" she huffed angrily. "Now I feel really guilty about what I'm doing…!"

But she admired the sleekness and plus: IT WAS ALL HERS! She cackled evilly, but she composed herself. "This isn't even mine," the girl told herself firmly. "I'll give it back to him after I – AHHHHH!" The phone started ringing. Tenten flipped out from shock and the phone bounced in her hands. At last she grabbed it and flipped it open.

"Err…" she began, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "… Hello…?"

"It's Sasuke."

"Oh…" she said slowly. "Ok… How did you manage to call me…?"

Tenten heard a little light sigh on the other side of the phone. Then, "It's my phone. I think I would know my own number."

"Eh… heh… RIGHT…" she muttered half-heartedly. "So…"

"We're having a family reunion dinner tonight. Everyone is going to be there," he said, getting straight to the point. "Where are you-"

"FAMILY REUNION DINNER?!" she shrieked. "WHAT FAMILY REUNION DINNER?!"

* * *

**A/N. **Yes. This chapter was boring in my opinion. XD Sorry for the delay. There was some document upload problems.

Great. I have 3 story ideas. Too many stories… (- -)"

**Thanks to those who read and reviewed. Or just read. That's cool.**

_aizuhime_  
_Shadow – Ninja – Fay_  
_Spetiane_  
_Blossoms of Spring_  
_iheartyu.xD_  
_Hatake Megumi_  
_Shinko666_  
_ballagurl06_  
_alliwant_  
_kakya991_  
_Shikyo Yaiba_  
_yangs_  
_circles in the stream_  
_earthlover_  
_Matahari_  
_Pyro – Momo_  
_elegant – shining – moon _  
_2756 _**–**** Sometimes I think I make her overreact too much. XD But 'tis amusing.**  
_FudgeNuggets _**–**** To be honest, I don't really like the pairing either. D: But I can endure it.**


	17. conflicts reversed

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

"Eh… heh… RIGHT…" she muttered half-heartedly. "So…"

"We're having a family reunion dinner tonight. Everyone is going to be there," he said, getting straight to the point. "Where are you-"

"FAMILY REUNION DINNER?!" she shrieked. "WHAT FAMILY REUNION DINNER?!"

Another sigh at the end of the phone. "It's when our families come together and just eat and talk," he answered. A pause. "Do you want me to pick you up or-"

"No, no!" she said quickly. "It's fine! It's fine…!" She snapped the phone shut and slammed her head against it. "Perfectly fine," she muttered sarcastically. How the hell was she supposed to put up this act against the whole family now? "UGH!" she yelled. She slammed the phone against her head repeatedly. "Stupid, stupid, STUPID!"

Tenten finally calmed down and sighed, looking up at the sky.

Joy.

* * *

When she arrived at the house, she was definitely surprised. Everybody was there already and she made a big entrance – opening the door so hard that it bounced off the white walls. Eight pairs of eyes landed on her in surprise. Mikoto raised an eyebrow in speculation. Tenten twitched from her gaze and looked at the newcomer instead. She recognized her as Neji's secretary, although she never really talked to her in person. Neji shook his head from her stupidity.

Hiashi gave a loud cough and motioned her to sit down at the table. The girl gave a sheepish and embarrassed grin as she planted herself between him and Neji. She was hitting herself mentally in her head. The stares didn't go away and Hiashi coughed loudly again.

"Now that Tenten has joined us," he stated, "I would like to say that I'm glad we finally got a chance to get together." He smiled at his 'niece' who poured herself a cup of water. "Would you like to tell us about yourself, Tenten?" Neji raised both his eyebrows in bewilderment. Sasuke settled down in his seat – interested to see where this would go.

At once the girl exploded into sputtering and hacking coughs from surprise.

WHAT?!

"Err…" Tenten began, wiping her mouth on the sleeve of her sweatshirt, "Like… what… exactly?" Her small smile seemed branded on her face.

Hiashi gave a simple shrug. "Like how your life in Hong Kong is," he suggested. "Where do you go to school? Do you have a lot of friends? Do you play any musical instruments? And-"

"Give her a chance to talk, Uncle." Neji gritted those words through his teeth. Hiashi raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything else. Neji nodded to Tenten to say something. His eyes were saying, 'Remember what we reviewed that time…'

"Eh… heh…" Tenten laughed sheepishly, trying to ignore the gaze that Neji seemed to be burning into her skull as if he could mentally transport the information they had gone over. "Err… I take… piano… lessons?" she squeaked. She cast a glance at Neji to see if she was right and he raised an eyebrow – questioning why the hell she was looking at him.

"Oh?" Hiashi raised his eyebrows again. "That's interesting. Perhaps you can play for us one time?"

Lee burst in with, "YOSH! I'd like to see our beautiful flower play as well!"

Hinata nodded shyly. "I… like the piano too…" she offered.

Kurenai nodded and put in, "It should sound nice…" She glared at Asuma. "It would help my creativity unlike SOMEBODY'S MUSIC!" Asuma merely coughed at her outburst.

Tenten's eyes widened. "…!" She nudged Neji frantically and he spat out the piece of broccoli he was in the process of chewing. Sasuke tried to hide a smile that was breaking through. Neji, on the other hand, gave her a death glare. Tenten rolled her eyes and she motioned slightly over to Uncle telling him to, 'Say something DAMMIT!'

Neji coughed slightly, trying to compose himself. "Uncle, Tenten's left hand is…" He stopped, thinking of a liable reason, but Tenten pounced in with, "Is numb from the cold!" Her hasty explanation received stares from the others, but they dissipated within a few minutes.

"I… see…" Hiashi muttered. He shrugged it off. "So what composers do you like the best?"

"I like Beethoven – I MEAN CHOPIN!" she blurted out the correct answer after receiving an inquiring glance from Neji. Seeing their startled expressions, she managed a smile again. "I meant… Chopin," she murmured, embarrassed.

Hiashi just shook his head and smiled. He gestured to the food. "Let's begin to eat."

* * *

The dinner went fairly smoothly. It was a relief (to Neji) and a miracle (to Tenten). No embarrassing acts, no dropping silverware, no messy eating from Tenten, no squabbles between Kurenai and Mikoto, no staring contests between Hiashi and Neji, no food fights – nothing! But the problem was…

Miracles don't last very long.

Tenten clinked her chopsticks together as she reached for a dish she didn't try yet. Hiashi raised an amused eyebrow. "You like these too, Tenten?" he asked. "Your mother liked the very much."

Tenten just nodded, not really hearing what he was saying. "Yeah… sure…" she muttered, carefully dragging her chopsticks back onto her plate. Neji noticed her lack of listening and jabbed her on her side with his elbow – payback from before. The girl quickly slammed her hands on the table, making the dishes jump, in order not to fall out of her seat. She glared as hard as she could at the prodigy as she slowly slinked back into her seat with the food on her plate.

Hiashi narrowed his eyes angrily at Neji's rash action, but smiled again at Tenten. "You like spicy foods too, I see. Just like your mother."

Tenten gave him a weird look. "Actually, Uncle, I don't really-" Another jab from Neji. "-I _**LOVE**_SPICY FOODS!" she shouted. She glared at Neji again. Hiashi sighed as he glared at his nephew again.

"Neji," he stated. "Perhaps you'd like to share why you've been…" She saw Neji roll his eyes at Hiashi and she grumbled inwardly. An argument arose soon after and she heard Kurenai yelling. _Oh well_, she thought. She was just hungry right now. A hungry Tenten is not a very concentrated Tenten.

She put the food she recently got into her mouth. She chewed. And chewed.

And then her eyes widened.

At once Tenten exploded into a fit of coughs. It was so loud that the rest of the family stopped arguing and stared at her. "(cough)_**WATER**_(cough)!(cough)" she managed to choke out. Kurenai went straight to the kitchen and came out with two pitches of water. She poured Tenten a cup and handed it quickly to her. The family watched as the girl chugged it in one stroke. Sasuke just chuckled under his hand. Neji was… amazed… for once.

Kurenai hurriedly poured her another cup. And another cup. And another cup until she was finally back to normal. Or as normal as she could be. Tenten hit her chest a few times to get rid of the sting and she finally managed a light smile at the rest of the family.

"Eh… heh…" she muttered. "I think it was a little too spicy…"

Hiashi sweat dropped at her comment. _YOU THINK?!_ But he swallowed this thought down along with his food. "Anyways, Tenten," he continued, "Tomorrow you must go and pay your respects." He nodded gravely and the rest of the family members followed suit.

"My whatta, whatta, what?" she drawled dumbly. Neji slapped his face openly and she stared at him. _What's his problem?!_

Hiashi coughed loudly and explained quickly in one breath, "Pay your respects to your mother."

"Respects, respects…" she mumbled. Her eyes widened. "Oh!" she cried out excitedly, glad that she knew what he was saying. "Respects!" Her eyes flashed with realization and she muttered quietly, "Oh… respects." Neji rolled his eyes inwardly at her, but said nothing.

"Neji will be accompanying you," Hiashi continued. "You'll be traveling to the mountains, so stock up on gas."

* * *

"Tenten, is that really all you're going to buy? I mean, I'm not traveling to the mountains and look at me!"

Tenten merely rolled her eyes at Ino's chastising. Indeed, Ino had bought too much again. Way too much. And guess who got stuck carrying the bags. Uh-huh. Yeah. You guessed right. Tenten. The only thing the brunette had bought was another gigantic sweatshirt since her old one was breaking apart. Ino on the other hand bought anything that was 'too cute,' 'adorable,' or 'shiny.' Yeah. That equals a lot if you add them together.

The girl had went to the apartment to deliver what had happened so far. That she was going to be traveling in the mountains and is going to be stuck with that stuck-up, no-good Hyuuga prodigy guy. Then Ino rose up and demanded that they go shopping for heavier clothes. And… Well…

She shifted the bags in her arms grumpily and twitched at the squeal that came from Ino's mouth.

"Ohmygosh, Tenten!" she cried. "Come here!" She beckoned her over to the street stand and pointed at an object. "Look at this! Isn't the most **shiniest** and **adorablest** thing you've ever seen?! It's **too cute**!" Tenten twitched again at the three words she just heard AGAIN! But nonetheless, she took a closer look at the object and snorted.

"A necklace?" she questioned. "That's all you want?!"

The necklace was shaped in a key. Pink diamonds were cluttered in the hole ring of the key and Tenten raised an eyebrow at it. Why did it seem so… familiar? But she quickly snapped out of her thoughts as Ino frowned at the price tag right next to her.

"Aw, man," she sighed. "I don't have enough money to buy it. And it's the last one too…" Her eyes flashed in glee as she turned to Tenten. "TENTEN!" she cried. "My good friend! Can I borrow some money?!" The brunette sighed, regretting ever telling her how much she had earned from the job. Ino noticed her sigh and began to try to convince her the… err… Ino way.

"Please, Tenten?!" she squeaked. "I'll pay you back! I swear! PRETTY, PRETTY, PRETTY PLEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAASSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEE?!"

"Alright, alright!" Tenten cried, waving her hand at her friend's face. "Yeesh… Stay there. I'm going to get some from the ATM machine." She glanced at the bag she had in her hands and shoved it to Ino. "Hold this." She ran off to where she had seen one last.

Ino took a look at Tenten's bag and shrugged as she placed it with her other bags.

Oh yes…

Did I mention that these bags all looked exactly the same?

* * *

Sakura decided to talk to Neji once more. She was going to tell him that she was going to leave Korea. For good. It was clear to her that he didn't like her as much as he had back then. And it hurt. Badly.

But she knew it would hurt even more if she saw him by chance encounter. And it would be the same for him. She sat in the lounge area of the company building and took a deep breath. She picked up her cell phone and dialed Neji's number.

"Yeah… Neji? I'm here in the lounge… I want to tell you something…"

* * *

"WHAT?!"

Tenten stood agape in front of her ATM account. _Why that no-good little- HE DIDN'T GIVE ME MY PAYMENT FOR THIS MONTH GODAMMIT!_ She yelled in rage inwardly, but held it in as she tried her best not to smash the buttons on the machine to get her money.

The girl rushed back to Ino and dumped the money in her hands. "Here!" she said quickly. "This should be enough. Give me back the change later, ok?" She took a quick glance at her watch. _Good. Neji should be in his office right now._

"Whoa," Ino but in, holding up her hand to stop her friend's blubbering. "What do you mean by 'later'?"

Tenten sighed. "I have to meet up with Neji right now. He –"

"Oh, job thing. Whatever." Ino grinned as she paid for her necklace and dropped it into the bag nearest to her. "You can go ahead, Tenten," she said. "I'll just call Shikamaru or something to help me with my stuff. He never has stuff to do anyways. And –"

"Yeah, yeah," Tenten said quickly, breaking her off. She turned to get her bag but…

She didn't know which one was hers.

"Ino, do you know which one's mine?" Tenten asked. An eyebrow rose in speculation. Ino crossed her arms in thought and put a finger to the bottom of her lip – a habit. Tenten sighed as she rolled her eyes. She slapped a hand to her forehead. "You didn't – Don't tell me-"

"No, no!" Ino butted in hastily. "I know where it is!" She looked over the bags and gulped inwardly. "Err… This one!" She chose one that was randomly near her and handed it over to Tenten. "Here you go!"

Tenten had both eyebrows raised now. "You sure?"

Ino nodded her head. "Positive!"

The brunette sighed, but she wanted to meet Neji as soon as possible. "Oh all right," she muttered, running off. "You'd better be right!" she called back.

Ino broke into a tentative smile. "Err… Don't worry!"

* * *

"You wanted to talk?"

The two of them were seated in the lounge, sitting across from each other. Sakura stood up with her back straight, while Neji relaxed into the chair, waiting for her response.

Sakura nodded attentively, taking calming breaths. Her hands were folded in her lap nicely, and she was currently staring at them instead of him. "Thanks… for coming," she said slowly. "I know it must've caused you trouble." Neji raised an eyebrow and gave off a small shrug. Sakura bit her lip and she rose to meet his eyes.

"I wanted to say…" she began, "I wanted to say that I'm –"

**Bzzz…**

At that precise moment, Neji's cell phone began to ring. She jumped in surprise. Someone was calling him now? But she…

"Hello?" She could see Neji's eyes narrow, but she saw a twinkle of emotion in them. "You're here? Now?" Sakura winced as she could hear a small volume of talking coming from the phone, but she knew it was loud at Neji's side.

Sure enough, the Hyuuga extended his arm holding the phone far away from his ear and waited until the loud noises stopped.

* * *

"YES I'M HERE, YOU IMBICLE!" Tenten shouted menacingly. She was currently in the second part of the lounge that was more secluded from everything else. The section was emptier than the first part and she understood how she had to keep their arrangement a secret.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU PAY FOR THIS MONTH?! _HUH?!_ **HUUUUUHHHHH?!**" she spat acidly. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I NEED THIS MONEY FOR?! I NEED IT FOR MY DEBT GODDAMMIT AND NOW I'M STARTING TO THINK THAT YOU'RE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF MY SERVICE!" Another huff.

"FINE! YOU KNOW WHAT?! I'M GOING TO-" She stopped as she heard a few words through her end of the line. "… Fine. I'm in the second area. Behind the divider." She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean you can't see a divider? It's as big as your egotistic-"

-

"-morbid mind!" Neji sighed as he snapped the phone shut. He heard her. And he saw the divider, too.

Unfortunately.

-

"Why did Neji rush like that?" Sakura muttered under her breath. He didn't even wait for her to say something! What was so important that needed his attention so quickly? She paused as she thought. At last, she made her decision to follow him. She would wait until he was done and then talk to him.

The girl quickly hurried off to where Neji went.

She looked around the lounge area and finally spotted him with… Her eyes widened. A… girl? She frowned. It never occurred to her that Neji would've… Sakura shook these thoughts away as she went over to the pair. She would be leaving soon and she just needed a little bit of time to talk to him. She was sure that the other girl wouldn't mind.

* * *

Tenten's shopping bag was perched on the table between them.

"How come I didn't get my payment for this month, hmmm?" she inquired angrily. "This is the third time you're paying me! You're never late before?" Silence from him. Then a smirk. She clenched her teeth. "So what's your excuse?!" she demanded. "Where's my payment?! Don't think I'm doing this for free-"

"Vacation."

Tenten stopped. "What?!" she spat. "Did you just say… _Vacation_?!" Neji raised an amused eyebrow that clearly said, 'Are you that stupid that I have to say things more than once?' The girl just rolled her eyes at him and said, "How the hell is visiting a GRAVEYARD a vacation?!"

Neji shook his head. "Remember our agreement?" he asked. "We agreed that any place that took more than four hours would be considered a vacation." His smirk widened as he saw her eyes widen in remembrance.

At last she sputtered, "Then how long is the freaking car ride?!" Neji held up five fingers.

"5 HOURS?!" she screeched. "I'M GOING TO BE STUCK IN A CAR FOR-"

-

"-5 BLOODY HOURS?!"

Sakura winced as she heard the volume of the girl's voice. Wow. She must be the one who was yelling at Neji through the phone. At last, she coughed, and both of them turned to look at her. Both were surprised that she was there. She smiled lightly as she bowed in greeting.

"Hello," she said. "I'm Haruno –"

-

"- Sakura."

Tenten twitched. It was… Neji's girlfriend. Or was Neji's girlfriend. Or… whatever. She couldn't really remember. The girl cast a glance over to Neji to see his reaction and it seemed that he was equally surprised just like her. No one said a word and Tenten was getting nervous. So in greeting, she bowed down slightly as well from her seat.

"Hey!" she cried out cheerfully. "I'm Tenten – Neji's cousin." She watched as both of them twitched simultaneously at how casually she had thrown out the title and rolled her eyes. _Morons…_

"Your cousin?" Sakura asked, turning to Neji. "I didn't know that you found her…" She trailed off, not really knowing what to say. "Err… Congratulations," she offered. Tenten kicked Neji under the table to say something nice to her, seeing how he said nothing at all. Nothing again. She kicked him even harder and he kicked back even harder.

"Why are you here?" he asked stoically. Tenten twitched. That wasn't nice at all!

She watched Sakura bite the bottom of her lip nervously and Tenten gave some sympathy to her. Jeez. If she was aimed at Neji's level 3 death glares than she would be nervous too. "Err… The real person is a lot prettier on TV!" the girl cried out nervously – trying to lift up the mood.

Tenten stood up to create a sort of barrier between the two, but in the process, she knocked over the shopping bag on the coffee table accidentally. The girl slapped her hand on her forehead.

"Oh!" Sakura cried. She got down on her knees and helped her pick up her items. "I'm really sorry," she explained hastily, picking up a pair of earrings. Tenten twitched at the set and realized that this was one of Ino's other bags! _Right_, she thought angrily._ 'Your bag' my foot!_

"I just wanted to talk to Neji for a moment," Sakura continued. "I never-" She stopped as her eyes landed on a necklace. A key with pink diamonds…

Tenten raised an eyebrow but followed her gaze to the necklace. She froze as she saw almost a replica of it dangle in front of her around Sakura's neck. Except it was studded with white diamonds. Shit.

Sakura got up with the necklace – still in its case – in her hand. She gaped at it. "What… What –"

"No, no!" Tenten said, trying to keep her tone happy. "Err… You see, it belongs to my friend," she tried to amend. "She found it at a street store. I'm sure-"

"Street store?" she murmured. She turned to Neji. "You got this at a…" The girl trailed off, waiting for Neji to respond. He didn't and she clutched the one around her neck tighter. "Do you understand how much this meant to me?" she whispered. "How much it still means to me…?"

Silence.

At last, his eyes narrowed. "What we had is over," he stated. "You should leave."

Sakura held her breath and then finally handed the necklace over to Tenten and bowed slightly again. "Sorry," she repeated. Tenten shook her head, saying, 'No need." The girl turned to Neji and told him, "I'm leaving today for France." She watched something flash across his eyes and smiled inwardly – glad that he cared after all. Even if it was just a little. "I'm sorry for bothering you."

She bowed again and then slowly walked away.

Tenten looked to where she went and frowned. She then looked back at Neji who was seemingly indifferent to the whole matter. "… Well?" she prompted.

He raised both his eyebrows as if he was saying, 'What?'

The girl opened her mouth to say something, but shut it. One: because she didn't know what to say, and two: he can mess up his love life all he wanted. It really wasn't any of her business. She shrugged. _It's his problem._

Neji stood up and walked past her. "Let's go," he said. "We have to pack."

* * *

It was late afternoon and Haruno Sakura was in the limo that was speeding towards the airport, all the while replaying the conversation that had occurred nearly four hours ago. She unintentionally clutched the necklace around her neck every now and then and peered out the window.

Moegi was by her side and she smiled. "You sure you want to do this, Sakura?" she asked. "I – We – don't know when you'll be coming back, you know…"

But Sakura nodded, confident. "I'm ready." She felt her heart contract when the car finally stopped in front of the airport. Her eyes widened as she saw the mass of fans that were perched right outside. They were holding banners and signs. She sighed. A mob.

Moegi was nervous as well. "Do you want to try the other side?" she inquired. "The driver-"

"It's almost time for the plane ride," Sakura reasoned. "If we waste time finding another way in, we'll probably miss the flight." She looked to Moegi pointedly and the small girl nodded.

"Ok," she said. "Let's go. Just remember to stay close by."

They got out of the car and they were mobbed by the fans immediately. Sakura shrugged away from them as she charged on forward, working her way in. Moegi and the others did their best to block them from getting to the celebrity. Sakura worked her way through the area and rushed forward the gate.

Moegi and the bodyguards noticed how close they were and so they stopped blocking the people to rush with Sakura into the gate. The fans charged forward, circling the girl. One reached out to try to grab something and caught Sakura's necklace instead.

From the harsh grip of the person, it ripped off her neck and was tossed on the ground. The girl didn't notice until she was at the edge of the gate. Sakura touched the areas around her neck apprehensively searching for the hard pendant that was under her shirt. Her eyes widened as she couldn't find it anywhere.

"Sakura!!"

The girl charged into the crowd on her hands and knees, patting the ground with her hand to find it. She saw a glint by someone's foot and she charged toward it. Sakura extended to pick it up, but someone's foot slammed hard on her wrist. She could hear a sick snap and she cried out in pain.

"Move! MOVE!" Moegi's shrill voice could be heard as she shoved everybody out of the way harshly. She bent down to Sakura who was panting heavily. "Sakura!" she shouted.

"Sakura! Are you all-"

* * *

"You shouldn't have done that, you know."

Neji didn't respond, but Tenten noticed how his hand clutched even tighter on the driving wheel. She rolled her eyes. He was so difficult to manage! She tried again. "You realize that you're letting her slip right through your hands, right?" she said. "You do realize-"

"I believe it's none of your business what I 'realize' or not," he cut in harshly.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, Neji!" she cried out. "Go and ruin your love life if you want!" She glared at him. "If you do, don't come running to me!"

"Forget it," he stated. He smirked at her. "We're going on a 5 hour ride. I hope you have the decency to be prepared."

The girl's eyes narrowed even more. "Oh don't worry about me," she muttered angrily. "I just need some food."

* * *

Sakura woke up. She was in the hospital.

Her first impulse was to find the necklace. She shot straight up, but instantly regretted it as pain shot up her right arm. She looked down and saw the cast around her wrist. What had happened…?

Moegi spotted her rising form. "You're awake!" she cried. The small girl went to Sakura's side and noticed how she was scurrying around under the blankets and under her pillow. Sighing, she held up the broken necklace to her face. "Are you looking for this?"

Sakura's eyes widened as she lunged toward it and clutched it to her heart. She frowned at the broken chain. "Don't worry," Moegi said. "We're ordering a new one right now." She spotted the broken face of Sakura and she frowned. "That one can't be fixed." Silence. "Sorry."

The pink-haired girl nodded, taking it all in. "Ok," she said. "Ok."

Moegi scratched the back of her neck. "You broke your wrist," she told Sakura. "Because of it, you won't be able to play tennis for awhile. We'll be staying here for about two weeks or so for you to heal up." Sakura's eyes widened. Two weeks? Here?

"Does he know?" she blurted out.

Moegi's eyebrows went up. "You mean Neji…?" Sakura nodded and Moegi shrugged. "I don't know… But I'll call him." Before she could protest, Moegi quickly added, "You should go to sleep now." Sakura nodded and leaned back down on the bed and closed her eyes. Soon she was asleep again.

* * *

Tenten loaded her only bag into the car. And sighed. "Neji!" she called. "I'm ready!" She huffed, blowing up a strand of hair. It was ridiculous to go on a 6 hour ride into the mountains if they were just going to be resting there for about an hour. She got into the seat next to the driver's and leaned back.

Neji came soon after and closed the door tightly. He started the engines and they drove away. Tenten was still sleeping and she leaned down on the window. But she woke up when they finally stopped. "Whoa!" she cried. "We're here already?" But then she frowned.

They were at a hospital.

Neji got out of the car leaving Tenten behind. The girl looked out the window as he ran off and raised an eyebrow. What happened here?

* * *

Neji burst into the room to find Sakura sleeping. He looked at the table next to her and spotted the broken necklace. So he was right. She had broken her wrist like her assistant told him. And she broke it trying to get the necklace back. So this meant it was his fault… about.

She began to stir and Neji immediately left without saying anything to her.

* * *

Tenten saw him reappear in a matter of five minutes. She was even more perplexed as he opened the door and sat back down. Silence between them as they just sat there. After awhile, she turned to him. "So?" she asked. "What happened?" Her eyes narrowed as he didn't respond. He just started the car.

Her first conclusion was most likely Haruno Sakura. She smiled. He was so clueless when it came to girls. First he leaves her, and then he comes back. Her smile widened. It was like something out of a cheesy soap opera. Tenten tried to keep back her amusement, but it reached Neji's ears. He just merely gave her a cold look.

"What?" he demanded.

She laughed even louder and Neji's eyes narrowed. Unlike a lady-like giggle, her laugh was a "throw your head back and yell it out" kind of laugh. He couldn't decide whether it was repulsive or unique. In the end, he decided on both.

"Heh… It's… (ha) Nothing (ha)!"

Neji rolled his eyes at her hyperactive demeanor as he made his way to the road and onward toward the temple in the mountains. Tenten leaned her head back down again.

"Wake me up when we get there," she mumbled.

* * *

**4:49 in the late afternoon…**

* * *

They arrived later at the temple. Neji and Tenten both bowed down before the monks who supervised it. Then they did a brief overview on how to clearly "worship the passed." Tenten just nodded her head, clearly depending on Neji to remember their words. Then she would follow whatever he was doing once they got there.

They entered the shrine of Tenten's supposed "mother." She looked at the small picture in its frame on top of the small table that was covered in red silk. Unconsciously, her fingers brushed a few strands of hair that were hanging loosely in front of her face. The woman… She did look a bit familiar.

However, she was returned back to earth by a jab at her back.

The girl glared at Neji as she watched him to go the left of her and kneel down on the pillow. Her mind snapped in realization. Oh right! They were supposed to be praying. She arranged herself just like Neji and then bowed at the same time he did. She closed her eyes in prayer and she remembered the woman in the picture.

"Sorry," she murmured quietly. Neji twitched slightly at the sound of her voice next to her.

"I need the money for my dad. Sorry for pretending to be your daughter, you know…" She trailed off and she opened her eyes. She slowly got up at the same time Neji did and they left the shrine together to go back home.

* * *

"…"

"…"

The car ride was silent. Tenten considered sleeping the whole way back again, but… She went into a gloomy state as she heard the almost inaudible noise of her stomach rumbling again. She needed some grub, dammit! She looked over to Neji who was acting normal during her conflict.

"Neji."

He looked at her with his eyebrows raised. "What?" he spat.

She turned to face him as well. "I'm…" Tenten faced back in front and took a deep breath, afraid of how he was going to react. "I'm… I'm hungry." She heard him snort and she whipped her head around. "You're not?!" she asked incredulously. "I was expecting to eat something at the temple, but they didn't even give us anything!" Silence. "… WELL?!"

Neji rolled his eyes. "Hunger is for the weak," he muttered.

**Growl…**

The man twitched as his stomach betrayed what he had said right there and then. Tenten smirked. "For the weak, eh?" she inquired. Talk about being a hypocrite. But Neji just harrumphed as he changed the car from the main road and drove trying to find food. There was no sound until Tenten thought of something. She thought about not mentioning it - he was an intelligent guy even if she didn't like to admit it. But she finally decided to ask him anyway.

"You know where we're going, right?"

Silence.

Tenten took that silence as a yes.

Too bad she was wrong.

* * *

**10:37 at night…**

* * *

Tenten was slamming her head repeatedly against her seat.

"Neji!" she cried. "Do you know where we're going?!" Neji harrumphed again and she slammed her head against the seat again. "You don't know, DO YOU?!" She stared pointedly at the gloomy atmosphere of the woods that seemed like it was taken out of a story book with the creepy wolves and stuff.

Silence.

"OH MY GOSH, NEJI!" she shrieked. "Let's go back to the temple!" A death glare was aimed at her. "Well," she began, trying to persuade him, "we can stay there for the night, you know… And we can get some _**food**_-" She put emphasis on the food part. "And also a map-"

"We're not lost!" he barked back acidly. And then as an afterthought, he quickly added, "This is your fault anyways!"

It took five seconds for Tenten to process what he had just said to her. At last she exploded with, "**WHAT?!**" If there was more room in the car, she would've stood up from impulsive anger. "MY FAULT?! _**THIS**_ IS MY FAULT?!"

"_**You**_ were the one who was hungry in the first place," he retorted – out of character from frustration. "You-"

"Don't pin this all on me!" she snapped back. "You were hungry too you lousy, no good, hypocritical…" She held her breath for a mere second – caught up in the moment – before bursting out, "_**FREAK!**_"

He turned to glare at her. "At least I-"

"At least what?!" she butted in. "You were-"

"_You_ were the one who was-"

"You were just as hungry as me! Why are you-"

"-So frustrating all the time!"

"Why you! You just took the words out of my-"

**Pvvrbbbt…**

Both of them became silence at once. They looked at the gas meter. Then they looked at each other.

They both thought the same thing: _Shit._

Out of gas.

* * *

**A/N. **Heh, heh, heh… Sorry for the delay. I wanted to make it extra long because of the bad chapter last time. XD And I added the summary up at top since I know it can sometimes be a pain when you open a random story and then don't read it later. But by then you forgot what it was about. XD

**Thanks to those who read and reviewed. Or just read. That's cool.**

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_Mornings Light_  
_ballagurl06_  
_iheartyu.xD_  
_sallyluv16_  
_Matahari_  
_Shikyo Yaiba_  
_Shinko666_  
_lilchibihina_  
_alliwant_  
_Hatake Megumi_  
_Pyro-Momo_


	18. panged

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, etc. "Superstar" by S.H.E.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

"At least what?!" she butted in. "You were-"

"_You_ were the one who was-"

"You were just as hungry as me! Why are you-"

"-So frustrating all the time!"

"Why you! You just took the words out of my-"

**Pvvrbbbt…**

Both of them became silence at once. They looked at the gas meter. Then they looked at each other.

They both thought the same thing: _Shit._

Out of gas.

* * *

Sakura was sitting in her bed, stroking the new necklace that was now around her neck. She turned to her assistant beside her.

"Moegi," she began, "Did you see Neji come by?" A pause. "I haven't seen him… you know, during visiting hours." She waited for Moegi to respond and she frowned when the girl shrugged in question.

"If he did come by," she said, "I haven't seen him." Then she quickly added, "But I told him though. He should come by soon." Sakura shrugged and lay back down on the bed. She had a feeling he wouldn't come.

She looked at the broken necklace. Maybe it was time to let go.

* * *

It took awhile for Tenten to adjust to the situation.

I mean, she never _really_ thought of what would happen if they ran out of gas. To be honest, she never even took a glimpse into that thought. Why? Simple – she never even thought it could happen. But it just did. And she adjusted to it the only way she really knew how:

"**_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_**" she moaned out loud. Neji twitched. He wanted to do the same thing as well, but his Hyuuga pride kept him from doing it. He scratched his ear. She was screaming a lot today.

"WE'RE GONNA DIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" she shouted in despair. "WE'RE GONNA DIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!" She slammed her head against the seat again and thrashed about in disdain. "WE'RE GONNA DIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" She continued screeching and rambling on and on about 'how they were going to diiiieeeee!'

Neji massaged his temples and finally opened his car door and stepped out, walking randomly – trying to get away from the noise. He had debated whether to tell her to "shut up," but he had a feeling that it would result in a loss for him. The noise was unbearable – he could hardly think – and decided to concentrate outside.

Tenten saw what he was doing and got out too. She ran to catch up with him. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Where the hell do you think you're GOING?!"

Neji snorted as he kept moving. "Nothing's going to happen if we just sit there and do nothing," he hissed. He kept walking down the road aimlessly with Tenten on his heels who kept glancing back at the car that was getting father and farther away. She looked around at the dark woods and shivered inwardly. She laughed nervously.

"Eh… heh… Neji?" she squeaked.

"What?!" he snapped. He felt a body slam into him and he growled on the floor as he got up again. "Watch where you're going!" he seethed.

"I can't help it!" she admonished. "It's dark and we're out of gas-" A wolf howled somewhere and she squeaked as she clutched on Neji's arm. Tenten could handle the dark. She could handle wolves. But she couldn't handle wolves at dark **WITHOUT** any help or anything.

Neji looked at the girl in his arms and snorted. He considered shrugging her off. He frowned as he peered deeper into that solution. Problem: She would scream even louder and probably jump on him again. He shook his head. He didn't want to be jumped on again and he **definitely** didn't want her screaming. So, he managed to drag himself along with the girl clutching his arm, all the while, frowning in deep thought.

Why did this seem so familiar?

He stopped and closed his eyes in thought. The only thing that came to his mind currently was a seat and… A plane? He looked down at the girl in front of him. Two buns… The girl on his seat… Two buns too? His eyes narrowed. She did seem familiar… _Dramatic-ness… _He raised his eyebrows as she swerved around in alarm after hearing a twig crack. Neji rolled his eyes.

_Density… _

Suddenly, Tenten had an excellent idea. She dug into her coat pocket and whipped out her cell phone. She let go of Neji's arm and he found himself shivering inwardly at the cold air that brushed his arm. Curses… He forgot to bring his coat. Of course, that wasn't his current issue right now. He was currently wondering what the hell Tenten was doing.

The girl was walking aimlessly around the road, holding her cell phone up to the sky. "C'mon… C'mon!" she mumbled hastily. She tried lifting the phone higher to see if it would have any effect. She tried climbing on a boulder to see if it would heighten the chances, but Neji was there at once, ripping her down. "GACK!" She crashed into him and both fell down on the forest floor.

Tenten got up immediately and brushed herself off. "What the hell is your problem you idiotic…" She trailed off as her eyes widened and she started searching the floor for the cell phone. "No, no, no!" she muttered frantically as she searched her pockets and her sweatshirt. She went down on her knees and began searching the floor again.

Neji rubbed his sore chin. "You could've fallen down," he reasoned. The man snorted. "Were you aiming for another twisted ankle?" He frowned as he realized that she wasn't paying any attention to him.

The girl scurried in the ground lifting up dead leaves – some of which had fallen on the prodigy's head – and clawed at the ground with her fingers. He made a wise decision not to bother her as she made her search. Moments later, she stopped, still on the ground. She took a deep breath and massaged her temples – a habit that was caught from Neji.

At last…

"YOU IDIOT!" she shrieked, stamping her foot loudly on the ground. "I was searching for some service for the phone!" The girl kicked the boulder she had tried to climb on before. "Great!" she shouted sarcastically. "Now we're stuck here without any phone to call for help!"

The man grumbled, feeling a slight heat rise in his cheeks. Whether it was from anger or embarrassment for not figuring out her solution by himself, we will never know.

"Then take mine," he argued he tossed his phone at her and she fumbled with it. A pause and then, "What does it matter? We're in the mountains. There's hardly any service here anyways."

"It wasn't my cell phone you buffoon!" she launched back, his phone in her hands. "It was Sasuke's! He _gave_ it to me-"

Neji's eyes narrowed. "Sasuke's phone?" he inquired. "Didn't I tell you not to-"

"We didn't go out for dinner or anything!" she shouted, sighing a little at the same time. "He just walked up to me when I was-"

"And when was this?" Neji asked angrily. He closed the distance between them. "Where were you when this happened?" She put up a slight barrier hand between him and her just so that she would have an equal chance of defending herself. Why did this seem like déjà vu to her?

"Market," she muttered. "He was pretty nice too. He-" She stopped at the beginning of her sentence and looked up into the sky. Her eyes widened. _Smoke!_ She dashed past Neji toward the outskirts of the road and Neji furrowed his eyebrows. She never answered his questions, but he planned to ask them later.

* * *

"Gai-sensei!" Lee's voice penetrated the dark night. "I see a car!!!"

At once, the tall green replica of Lee crashed through the window and onto the street. "HALT!" he cried. "HALT IN THE NAME OF YOUTH!" The car stopped and the man bounded over to the window. The man frowned. Two angry faces were glaring at him through the window. In spite of those angry glares, he smiled and there was a PING!

Good thing they were wearing sunglasses.

"YOSH! Have you seen a –" He was abruptly cut off as the car drove by him, leaving him in the dust. His face took on a confused look for five seconds until he shrugged it off. "Perhaps they were in a hurry," he mumbled. He turned to his partner in crime. "Lee!" he shouted enthusiastically, "Don't give up hope! The two will come sooner or later!" He gave the Good-Guy Pose™ and grinned – his teeth flashing with a PING!

Lee agreed, shoving a fist into the air with determination. "Yes, Gai-sensei! They shall come back sooner or later!"

Little did they know that about two days would pass until they would 'come back sooner or later.'

* * *

"What are you doing?" he asked. Neji was trying to hide his feelings of curiosity and at the same time, trying to figure out what the hell she really was doing. He snapped another branch out of his way through the trees, trying to keep up with the fast pace of Tenten who slipped between each branch without crashing any of them down.

"Smoke!" she snapped back, as if that was enough to explain the situation. "Now be quiet for a sec!" She crept out of the trees and bushes and smiled at what she had found. Yep! Another run-down, old neighborhood. She became giddy as the smell of food reached her nose.

Meanwhile, Neji, had also taken a look at the place with displeasure. He looked at Tenten. Was she serious about letting them stay in a place like that? "Tenten," he began, "don't do anything stupid- _Tenten_!" The girl didn't take heed of his advice as she dashed out of the trees.

The Hyuuga grunted angrily as he had no choice but to follow where she was going.

* * *

Tenten was walking on the dirt path until she bumped into a tall man. His hair was a matted gray and he was reading… a book? The man looked up and stared at her. And stared. And stared some more.

"Who are you?" he asked, scratching his chin.

"Err…" she mumbled. "I'm… Your daughter's best friend!" she blurted out. She hoped that they had a daughter.

"Oh," he huffed. "You must be for the Li's party. They're over there on that street." The man scurried away writing down something in an orange book that reminded Tenten vaguely of the stuff that Kakashi always read.

Neji finally caught up to her. "Where do you think you're going?" he hissed. "We're not even supposed to- Tenten!" The girl squirmed out of his grasp and dashed over to where the man had pointed before. _A party! That means food!_

The prodigy huffed as he continued chasing after her.

* * *

"Hello!" Tenten beamed brightly as she bowed politely in front of the Li family. "How are you today?"

The family members mumbled looking at her and then exchanging looks with one another.

"Oh!" Tenten cried. "Your daughter probably hasn't said much about me-" Neji walked up. "-US!" she quickly corrected, realizing that she wasn't alone. "We're her best friends from… err… the city!" Neji gave her a panicked look and she just looked at him.

"Oh!" a woman cried. "You must be here for her birthday party!" The woman clasped her hands together. "Tell me: is she coming back for winter break?"

Tenten nodded. "Of course! She said that she wouldn't miss it for the world!"

The family members then welcomed them into her house with Neji still perplexed about the lie she had just woven.

* * *

"It's late right now," the woman said jauntily as she led Tenten into the guest room. Neji sniffed at the dirty furniture and the girl nudged him forcefully – a warning not to show any bad manners. "Did you arrive here on bus?" the lady asked. "I didn't see a-"

"We kinda ran out of gas in the mountains," Tenten explained quickly. A little nervousness crept into her voice as well. "I didn't expect the party to be so hard to find…"

The woman smiled knowingly. "I see." She fluffed up a few pillows in the room. "Glad you were able to make it! We're about to start the party celebrations!" Neji twitched. Did she just say… _party_ celebrations?

Neji… Party celebrations… Those two words didn't seem to mix.

On the other hand, Tenten was frivolous about what would happen during the party! Party equals food… at least in her own calculations. The arched an eyebrow at Neji, however, who didn't seem like he was taking the news too well. She nudged him again and gave him the look – the look in which to tell her what the hell he was sulking about.

In return she received a vicious glare that explained everything. Tenten rolled her eyes deciphering the glare herself. _He has too many glares_, she thought irritably. She blew her cheeks up and then let them slowly deflate. She turned to him.

"It can't honestly be that bad…" she reasoned.

A narrow of eyes. "…"

She grinned, trying to lift up the mood a bit. "There'll be food!"

He closed his eyes in thought. "…" Tenten just shrugged at his demeanor and went to ask for a cup of hot chocolate or something to help her feel warm again.

* * *

Neji was angry. He was humiliated. And above all things: he was exasperated.

He looked distastefully at the people that were at the party. Most of them were waving beers around, getting wasted. Tenten was among them and he twitched at the way she was able to make friends so easily. She was planted next to him in the middle section of the table waving her glass around.

The girl was laughing – clearly enjoying herself. She reached for another beer bottle and got it in her hands until Neji slapped them, making her drop the bottle with a crash. "Hey!" she cried out, hurt. "Just because you hate alcohol doesn't mean that I don't!"

"You're drunk," he insisted. "If you drink anymore, you're going to die from alcohol poisoning." He proceeded to knock the bottles away from her, lest she reach for another one. The girl shoved him away clumsily.

"Hey, hey!" she mumbled, dazed. "It's a (hic) party! I can drink as much as I want…!" She reached for one that was to her right and frowned when Neji knocked that one away as well. And handed her a glass of water instead.

"The food isn't even here yet and you're already drunk!" he spat. "If-"

"**KARAOKE!**"

Everybody cheered and Neji found the fire in the trash canister more interesting. The leader of the group pointed to the pair in the middle. "In honor of our gracious guests," he cried, "let them sing first!" Another cheer and more clapping from the part members.

The girl spat out the water once more. That seemed to snap Tenten out of her drunken state. "Eh?!" Karaoke?! She didn't realize that they had the money to actually _buy_ a karaoke machine. She hit herself mentally. Damn… They were richer than her! She then scoffed. It wasn't like she actually _wanted_ one. She bit the edge of her glass instinctively in deep thought. _But it would–_

"I'm not singing."

That snapped Tenten out of her thoughts. "Wuh… huh?" She turned to the Hyuuga beside her. "What did you say?"

"I'm not singing," he repeated.

She arched her eyebrows, unsure of how to respond. "Singing can be… fun. Sometimes." The girl smirked at him. "Why? Suck at singing?"

He ignored the last part. "_They_ want one of us to sing," he stated stoically. The man shifted a little and gave Tenten a look. "I'm… not… singing," he said again – slowly this time. "Which means…" He trailed off, waiting for her to finish his point.

The girl's eyebrows rose even higher. "_Ok…_" she prompted, not totally getting it. "What the hell do you want me to do about it-"

"My friend here would like to sing." Neji's voice was loud and overpowered the cheers of the party guests and the drunken guests that were sitting in the corner wrapped up in their own little world. Tenten's eyes widened and she nearly fumbled with her glass. _What?! That was his solution?!_

At once Tenten was shoved to the front of the table. A fellow party guest handed her the mike and a woman set up the karaoke machine. The girl gaped. It was brand new! The song blasted out of the speakers brashly and she winced from the loud volume.

* * *

Hiashi tapped the end of his chin. It was late.

Where the hell were Neji and Tenten? He took another sip of his tea and Kurenai chastised him again to "Get some rest already, dammit!" However, he had an inexplicable reason as to why he couldn't actually go to sleep. He had a feeling that somewhere something was going to get messed up.

He tapped his chin even more in deeper thought. His eyes narrowed.

That was it.

He gave a wistful sigh. "Neji you really are too proud sometimes."

The boy forgot the map at home.

* * *

_xiao jiu ge song yi zhou mei tou jiu xin tong  
wo mei kong li hui wo zhi gan_  
_shou ni de gan shou  
ni yao wang na zou ba _  
_wo ling hun ye dai zou  
ta wei _  
_ni zhao le mo liu zhao you shen me yong_

* * *

Tenten rolled her eyes. "You've got to be kidding me," she huffed. This song was not on her favorites' list and the high-pitched vocals made her ears ring. However, it _was_ a karaoke machine, and who knows? Maybe she does have some singing talent.

The girl sighed again. The lyrics were going so fast, but she couldn't disappoint the crowd. She twitched inwardly. Especially if they were freeloaders…

Hesitantly, she clicked the mike on and hurried to catch up with the rest of the lyrics – all the while giving off a nervous smile.

* * *

_ni shi dian _  
_ni shi guang _  
_ni shi wei yi de shen hua  
wo zhi ai ni _  
_You are my super star_

* * *

Soon, Tenten got into the music and she started hopping around doing her own little jig with it as well. The party guests clapped in appreciation and enthusiasm as they stood up and danced as well. Neji, however, managed to squeeze out of the suffocating crowd to get a breath of air.

He turned to look back at Tenten who definitely stood out of the crowd.

* * *

_Ni zhu zai _  
_wo chong bai mei _  
_you geng hao de ban fa  
zhi neng ai ni _  
_You are my super star _

* * *

The proud man had to admit that the atmosphere was quite… cheerful. He watched her as she sang and also danced alongside everyone. She was able to stir up quite the party and befriend many people – he'll give her that much. And she was a pretty good singer…

He grunted, aware of the compliment he just gave her.

Well, compared to _him_ that is.

* * *

_shou bu shi shou shi_  
_wen rou de yu zhou  
wo zhe ke xiao xing qiu jiu zai _  
_ni shou zhong zhuan dong qing _  
_kan jian wo rang wo you meng ke yi zuo  
wo wei ni fa le feng ni bi xu jiang li wo_

* * *

Tenten continued singing and was glad that it was in a language she knew. She smirked as she thought of the best way to get Neji back… The only way was pretty unoriginal, but it was really his fault that she was singing in the first place. So it was only fair that he should sing too.

She grinned again and knew that the party guests would most likely force him to if he refused. _Ha! He deserves it!_

* * *

_ni shi _  
_yi yi shi tian shi di shi shen de zhi yi  
chu le ai ni mei you _  
_zhen li_

* * *

Pretty soon, Neji started adjusting to the song. His unemotional appearance still stayed intact, but Tenten could tell from far away that he was starting to warm up to this whole karaoke business. She frowned. _Darn. If I wasn't holding this mike, I would've taken a picture of him with the cell phone._

* * *

_huo ni shi huo shi wo fei _  
_e de jin tou  
mei xiang guo yao tao tuo _  
_wei shen me wo yao tao tuo  
xie xie ni gei wo yi duan kuai le _  
_Super Star_

_de meng you  
ru guo _

_wo wang le wo qing bang mang ji de wo_

* * *

"Next up is my good ol' pal, NEJI!"

The man's head snapped up. What?! What did she just-

"Yes! Next should definitely be your friend!"  
"He does look like he has the voice of a singer!"  
"Indeed he does! Hurry! Hand him the-"  
"Where the hell is he going?"  
"He's a fast runner-"

"NEJI! GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE-"

* * *

"Moegi… Can I go to France tomorrow?"

The little girl opens her eyes and looks at Sakura. "Why?" she asked. "Your wrist isn't better right now," she reasoned. "It's better to stay in the hospital. It might get damaged on the flight over or something." Moegi shrugged. "Besides, Neji still has to visit you, you know. Maybe-"

Sakura shook her head with a sad smile. "I don't think he's coming," she sighed. "I still like him, but I don't think he feels the same for me."

Moegi arched an eyebrow and bit the bottom of her lip, not knowing how to respond. "There's still a chance," she said finally. "It's not really over…"

The girl chuckles a bit. "Maybe not," she murmured. "But I think I'm making it harder for him if I stay here. I don't want him to hate me more."

"He doesn't hate you." Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but Moegi cut in with, "If it makes you happy, I'll tell the others that we're leaving tomorrow, ok?"

She nodded and then lay back down, finally able to go to sleep.

* * *

Neji was standing on the edge of the crowd again, his arms folded. He was exhausted, but didn't show it. The part guests had chased him for about twenty minutes before giving up at the end. The man closed his eyes in thought. They obviously weren't the brightest tools in the shed.

Now they were back to the karaoke machine, but the prodigy didn't feel that unexplainable joy anymore. He had analyzed it over and over again, and the only plausible explanation was that it was just a "spur of the moment" thing. It was a "on a whim" kind of thing. He nodded his head in silent agreement with himself. Yes. That _had_ to be it. What else could've caused it?

Despite himself, he started feeling bored of the whole thing. His eyebrows furrowed. Perhaps it was because the people on the stage were horrible singers. Or maybe it was because that bouncy girl wasn't on stage anymore. His frown deepened. Whatever that joyous feeling was, he found himself missing it.

"What's up, Neji?"

Speak of the devil.

The Hyuuga opened his eyes to see Tenten – the cause of all his problems – beside him with a grin on her face. He shifted away from her a little bit, getting ready to run for it if Tenten called out his name again and got the attention of the party members. He grunted.

Tenten noticed his slight movement and laughed out loud. He winced. "Neji!" she cried. "You're so funny." With this, she slapped him hard on the back and he sputtered out a breath of air that he didn't know he was holding.

Silently, though.

He grumbled. "Hn."

The girl gave out a sigh at his icy manner. "Anyways," she prompted. "Why aren't you smiling?" She shoved her hands into the front pocket of her sweatshirt and waited for his answer.

Neji twitched inwardly. "What are you talking about?" he inquired. "I don't recall smiling."

Tenten smirked inwardly. Denial. That was typical of him. "Yeah, _sure_, Neji," she replied skeptically. "I saw you while I was onstage," she said. "You looked pretty happy." She stepped away from him a little and eyed him – trying to see the whole picture. "So why are you frowning… Like always?"

He bristled slightly at her accusation. "I… Was… Not… Smiling," he gritted out slowly. Clearly too, making sure that she heard.

She chuckled. "Alright, fine," she decided. Then, under her breath, "Denial king." Before he could ask what she had just said, her attention turned to the party members who were seated around the table again. "Food's ready, Neji!" she called and dashed off without even waiting for him.

* * *

Neji stared at his plate of food.

"Ne, why aren't you eating?" The Hyuuga twitched at the way Tenten's mouth was stuffed while she was speaking. He thanked the gods above when she swallowed the food down her throat. "Not hungry?" she guessed, wiping her mouth with a tissue nearby. Neji was inwardly surprised that she didn't just wipe it on her sweatshirt sleeve. He didn't answer.

"C'mon, Neji," she sighed. "You were just as hungry as I was in the car. This is your chance to-"

"It's dirty food," he said curtly.

The girl next to him snorted. "Are you serious?" She couldn't help but feel slightly offended at that comment. These people were richer than her, and she thought that the food was pretty darn good, too. If she was poorer, then does that mean her food sucks twice as bad? "Look, Neji." She almost smashed the chopsticks into the table wood, but resisted. "Just because you come from a freaking rich family, doesn't mean that-"

"That's not what I meant," he cut in casually. He turned to her. "You lied to get this food."

"It was for a good reason," Tenten replied back with the same façade. She shrugged. "You don't want it? Fine." She grabbed his plate that was loaded with food. "I'll take it." She was about to dig her chopsticks into the plate until Neji grabbed it back venomously.

She smirked as he started to eat. _Denial king… _Tenten couldn't help but grin at him. Even though she had some rocky issues with him, she couldn't help but think that she was getting used to having him around. It felt normal. Natural. She frowned at the utter cheesiness of those thoughts and shook her head to snap out of it.

Neji watched as the girl next to him went back to her food. He rolled his eyes. _Sooner or later_, he thought, _she's going to get food poisoning._

* * *

"EXCUSE ME!!!"

Neji lifted up from his sleeping position and squinted his eyes – adjusting to the dark – at the intruder. "… What?" he muttered. He was tired. He was exhausted. And now he really wanted to punch something to the next dimension. He gave the man at the door a death glare.

Unfortunately, it was pretty dark for him as well and he didn't see the Hyuuga's death glare – let alone get fazed by it. "I think your girlfriend's sick," he rolled out. "We think she has a fever-"

Neji ignored the "girlfriend" comment as he went up and went into the room that Tenten was supposed to be in.

_She probably ate too much…_ His frown deepened. Or maybe she _was_ sick. It was cold in the mountains. Not only that, it was nighttime and everything gets colder at night.

* * *

"Thank goodness you're here!" There was a plump lade wringing out a wet cloth and putting it on Tenten's forehead. "She has a low fever, but it can easily get heightened from the weather." Neji kneeled beside the woman and looked at Tenten whose breathing was heavy.

She definitely wasn't lying.

"Don't you have a doctor around here?" he inquired. If they didn't, then they really were the-

"Of course we do!" She put the cloth back into the bucket beside her. "It's a short walk," she said slowly, "but it isn't worth it. The poor dear can't even walk-"

"I'll carry her," Neji cut in hastily. "Where is the doctor located?"

The woman stared at him, bewildered with his answer, but finally responded, "Just up the pathway. Jiraya will take you there." She wobbled to the room entrance and shouted into the hallway, "SOMEONE GET JIRAYA!" On the mat, Tenten shifted a bit from the loud voice.

* * *

"- Make sure not to be perverted around her. She can pack quite a punch. I still have bruises from five months ago. She is very experienced in the medic field, so whatever's wrong with your friend, she can fix. Also-"

Neji wanted to punch the man's lights out. He _would've_, actually, if he wasn't carrying Tenten on his back already. Back at the village, the man – Jiraya – offered to carry her, but… His eyes narrowed at the man who was saying random junk. There was something about him that made him seem…

"- I assure you that there's nothing wrong with our food-"

"We're here," the Hyuuga cut in, wanting that man to shut up already. He turned and bowed slightly to him. "Thank you for your assistance."

* * *

"She has a fever," the woman said slowly in speculation.

Neji nodded. "Correct." He watched as she put her hand on top of the girl's forehead. She then went to press her fingers against the girl's pulse. His brows furrowed in confusion as he watched her smile.

"I know the cure," the woman said. "The cure is-"

"See?! Didn't I tell you that Tsunade is simply the- GRMPF!"

"- that she just needs to relieve her chakra points," she continued, ignoring the log that she had just planted in Jiraya's mouth. "I'll get the needles." Neji inwardly winced and Tenten's eyes flew open at the mention of needles. She was extremely tired, but her stomach was just really in pain right now.

Tsunade returned with a small box. She opened it and Tenten twitched at the needles that were inside. She felt her palms sweat as the woman inserted needles into her hands. The girl quickly closed her eyes so that she wouldn't have to see what her hands looked like. And then…

She burped.

It was quite a loud burp. The girl blushed slightly. Neji's face seemed to collapse from the worry – _pity_ he had wasted on her.

* * *

As soon as Tenten was feeling better, the three started out back to the village. However…

"Tenten."

"…?"

"Get off my back."

"Wuh…?"

Neji shifted the weight on his back and still held on to her even though what he really wanted to do was drop her onto the ground. "You're alright now, correct?" His eyes narrowed. "So get off." He felt Tenten yawn and her arms contracted around him. He sighed as he took a quick glance at the girl's face. She was obviously tired, having no sleep – unlike him who had a few minutes. He shifted her again and continued to walk down the path.

In spite of herself, Tenten snuggled a bit more deeper. "Your back is pretty warm for a cold moron like you," she muttered absent-mindedly.

Neji took a deep breath as he ignored the last part of that comment. He felt that weird feeling return to his chest again.

"Hn."

* * *

"Thanks for letting us stay!"

"Hn."

The pair bowed simultaneously in front of the village. In her hand, Tenten held a map – scared that if the Hyuuga held it, he would've torn it to shreds repeatedly. "Thanks for helping us with the gas, too!" Tenten stood up from her bow and clasped her hands together. "I'll say 'hi' to your daughter for you guys!"

Neji nodded and added, "There will be some gifts for you as well." In his spare time, both of them had decided to order some products using the cell phone. As if on cue, a truck honked its way through the village delivering a gigantic TV completed with surround sound speakers.

He smirked as the villagers went around the TV and cheered as it was loaded on the ground.

Tenten twitched. The hell?! How come she never got anything like that?!

They turned to go back to their car which was parked beside them. Inside, Neji started the engine. Tenten poked her head out of the window and waved. "Bye!" she cried. "We'll miss you! And we also promise to visit every year or so!" The villagers also waved good-bye at their party guests that were now driving away down the road.

* * *

"Hey, Neji?"

"…?"

"I'm hungry again." She watched, amused at how Neji nearly slammed the brakes on his car. It had been about four hours (thankfully), and Tenten hadn't spoken once since she was sleeping. Neji grunted. That was expected considering how ill she was just last night.

"There's a store ahead," he replied. "We'll stop there."

Tenten grinned, glad that he hadn't said that phrase, "Hunger is for the weak," again.

* * *

Tenten grabbed the plastic bag of food that the two of them just bought. "Thank you!" she cried happily, bowing to the cashier. She dashed over to Neji who seemed dazed, standing in front of a newspaper stand. The girl frowned at his expression and went closer to him.

"Hey, Neji." The man didn't respond. "Neji?" Silence. She frowned. "Hey, Neji… You want some sausage? They're pretty-"

"Let's go," he stated, walking back to the car. Tenten looked at his retreating back and looked at the newspaper again. Her eyes widened at the headlines that were printed in bold words:

**HARUNO SAKURA: LEAVES FOR FRANCE TODAY!!!**

Tenten picked up the newspaper briefly, scanning the article and found the time. She understood his motives. They could make the time that was said in the paper. She threw it back in the stand and hurried up to catch up with Neji.

They got into the car and all was silent as the Hyuuga started the engines and drove in the direction of the hospital.

* * *

The car swerved into the parking lot of the hospital. Tenten sat there. Neji did too as if debating with himself. He made a move to unbuckle his seatbelt until he saw two figures get out of the hospital. His eyes widened at one particular figure – a woman. Sakura…

Tenten stared at him, expecting him to get out of the car already. Inside, she felt her pulse quicken. "Well?" she prompted. No response. "Neji." Still no answer. Her eyes seemed so soften a bit at his hesitant appearance. She followed his gaze to the tennis player in the distance, and then she looked back at him. Was he really at lost of what to do?

"You love her, don't you." It was a statement, not a question. "What are you doing?" she said. "What are you doing just sitting here?"

Still no answer. The girl bit the bottom of her lip. "You don't want her to leave, do you?"

Silence.

The girl pressed her hand over the wheel and before Neji could stop her, she honked the horn loudly. Tenten watched as Sakura turned toward the source of the noise and she saw how her eyes brightened up as they connected with their car. The sound seemed to snap Neji out of his thoughts as well. He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the car door.

She watched as Neji's figure went over to Sakura. They stood there for a moment, exchanging words that Tenten couldn't really hear. And then they hugged each other. The girl in the car felt a pang at her heart as she continued to stare at the two of them out of the car window.

"Why does it feel like my heart's been broken?"

* * *

**A/N. **Hum. Yep. Drama ensues… a lot. I hope this story isn't getting too long. XD The song that Tenten sang was "Superstar" by S.H.E.

**Thanks to those who read and reviewed. Or just read. That's cool.**

_Ice Phnix_  
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_AngeChen_  
_xMidorixTenshix_  
_Hatake Megumi_  
_Matahari_  
_Shikyo Yaiba_  
_aizuhime_  
_alliwant_  
_Spetiane_  
_Pyro-Momo_  
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_short'temper_  
_Shinko666_


	19. wasted my time

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

She watched as Neji's figure went over to Sakura. They stood there for a moment, exchanging words that Tenten couldn't really hear. And then they hugged each other. The girl in the car felt a pang at her heart as she continued to stare at the two of them out of the car window.

"Why does it feel like my heart's been broken?"

Realizing what she had just said she slapped herself mentally. "Why am I thinking that?!" she mumbled in frustration. She took one look at the couple and noticed how they looked so happy. Tenten opened the car door and got out, closing it behind her. Even she realized that she wasn't really supposed to be here. _They're probably going to want some alone time…_

* * *

Tenten wandered throughout the streets, chewing on a sausage stick. Her thoughts were in a jumbled mess.

"Calm down, Tenten," she said out loud. Her feelings were all fluctuated. That was it. She probably was even more ill than she thought she was back in the mountains. She nodded. That was it. _That… was… it_. "I just need a cup of water," she muttered, dazed. "That's it! Just a cup of water…"

She took a deep breath and lifted her head to the sky.

_Ok_, she thought. Maybe _I like him more than a friend. _She was just a little mixed up. Maybe she even considered him to be her brother. Tenten nodded her head – agreeing with that thought. It was definitely brother-sister affection. _I mean, what else could it be? _She pondered that for a moment, and then grinned, glad that she had sorted out her thoughts. Moments later, her eyes grew downcast.

Then why didn't that pain stop already, dammit?!

She balled up her hands until she realized that she was also squishing a thin, empty wrapper where the sausage she was indulging used to be. Tenten stared at it for a moment until her eyes widened as her thoughts shifted to the plastic bag of food she had just left in the car.

"OH SHIT!"

* * *

"Neji…" Sakura wore a huge grin on her face as she intertwined her hand with him. "I'm glad…" She took a deep breath as her smile grew even larger. "I'm glad that you came back," she admitted. "I was… I was beginning to worry that you didn't really…"

Neji gave her a hug and felt glad as he felt hands wrap around him as well. He almost showed a rare smile. The man thought about Tenten who was in the car now. If she had never honked that horn, then Sakura would… The Hyuuga hugged the woman in his arms tighter and finally released her. He decided that he would thank Tenten later.

"You can stay in the hotel," Neji told her. Sakura's eyes widened with surprise at his generous offer. "I'll take you there myself," he continued, "if they have no objections." He nodded to Moegi who was standing off to the side with a grin on her face. He watched the small girl talk to the driver for a moment before turning to the pair.

"I'll see you at the hotel, Sakura," she told her friend. "You two go on ahead." The girl then got into the limo and sped off, leaving the two of them there.

"Shall we go?"

They proceeded to walk back to the car. On the way, Neji's phone (which Tenten handed over reluctantly) rang and he picked up. "Hello?" he asked. He stopped and so did Sakura. "Birthday?" he muttered. He then gave an exasperated sigh. "Yes… I'll tell her." He snapped it shut and continued walking.

"Who was it?" she queried curiously.

"Uncle," Neji responded briskly. "He wanted to tell me that they're celebrating the birthday of Ten-" The Hyuuga paused in mid-sentence as he noticed that the girl wasn't in the car. He looked to his right and then to his left, hoping to see Tenten nearby. She was easy to spot. Two buns on her head…

The man frowned.

Then why didn't he spot her already?!

Sakura noticed his seemingly paranoid state and touched him lightly on the shoulder. "Neji," she began, her voice edged with concern. "Are you alright…?"

He shook his head and opened the door to enter the car. "It's nothing," he stated.

Sakura gave him a confused look as she took the seat next to him, but it soon washed away in happiness. They were together. _It's fixed_, she thought contently.

* * *

Tenten made it back to the entryway of the hospital and saw the car pulling out. "DAMN!" she cried as she started chasing after it. "HEY!" she shouted angrily. "STOP THE CAR!" She kept on running, although she was a little worn down from yesterday. Plus, the shouting she was doing definitely caused some damage to her energy supply.

"CHECK YOUR REAR VIEW MIRRORS, YOU MORON!"

* * *

Neji was still perplexed about where the hell Tenten went. Why would she just leave like that without even telling him? After all, he was the one with the car. He dodged around that thought for a moment, and then snorted. If she wanted to walk home, then so be it. He'll just pick her up later or something. The Hyuuga slapped himself mentally, realizing the stupidity of that plan soon after. _Then Uncle would want to know where she went_. How was he supposed to explain that she just disappeared?

At that precise moment he looked at the mirror to his left and his eyes widened in surprise as he slammed the brake pedal loudly. It was so sudden that Sakura felt herself lean downwards and then snap back up into the seat forcefully. She looked at Neji, confused, but her eyes widened in surprise as she saw Tenten pop up near the window.

She didn't look too happy.

Tenten had her hands on her knees and was bent down slightly from tiredness. Her breathing was heavy and her blood was boiling. Her head snapped up angrily and she was about to scream at Neji, but then she noticed Sakura in the car. The girl froze, rethought, and instead gave a wide grin. The girl didn't want to freak the celebrity out. This is famous people we're talking about here!

She laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of her neck. "I'm (huff) sorry," she said uneasily. "I just have to (huff) get the groceries." She reached over a confused Neji and pressed the unlock button herself. She went to the door, opened it, and fished out the bag. Then she returned to the car window. "Once again, I'm really sorry." Tenten bowed and was about to leave the scene when Neji stopped her.

"Birthday party," he told her. "On Wednesday. Remember that."

Right then and there, Tenten wanted to scream at him even more. He was throwing random events at her! First she had to pay her respects and now a birthday party. It didn't help knowing that he was planning to leave without her too! However, she resisted knowing that there was someone in the car that didn't know about their secret. "Yeah," she replied. "Ok."

Neji snorted. "Get in," he ordered. "We're going to the hotel and then we'll go back home."

Tenten's head snapped up and she shook her head rapidly. "N-No," she said hurriedly. "It's ok. You two… have fun!" She quickly turned around and headed down the road in the opposite direction, swinging the plastic bag back and forth.

* * *

Neji watched her from the car mirror as she walked away to make sure she wasn't going to be all ditzy and become road-kill in the next ten minutes. When he was satisfied that her intelligence was still intact, he started the car and began to drive away.

Sakura looked at him at the corner of her eye as the radio switched on. She couldn't help the uneasiness that suddenly swept into her heart as she saw the light amusement in Neji's eyes and the odd joy that sprang into them just now. The girl frowned, confused on the true relationship between the two.

The radio in the car sprang to life playing a rather familiar song.

_Ni shi dian_  
_Ni shi guang_  
_Ni shi wei yi de shen hua_  
_Wo zhi ai ni_  
_You are my super star…_

Sakura turned to Neji, almost expecting him to change the radio station. It was just too… She paused, thinking of the reason. _Just too happy and bubbly for someone like him_, she mused silently. She enjoyed the song as well, but she had a feeling that Neji wouldn't, which is why she was quite perplexed with his next course of action… or no action at all, really.

He didn't touch the radio.

Sakura arched an eyebrow in curiosity and made a move to change it herself, but Neji spoke with, "It's fine."

She snapped her head up. "Eh?" she muttered.

He smirked at her. "I don't mind the music," he said slowly. "It doesn't bother me."

There was silence in the car as Sakura took that information in. At last she turned to Neji with her mind swirling in questions. "You like S.H.E. now?" she inquired.

He frowned. "No."

"You like the song?"

"No."

Sakura was stumped. "Then what?" she asked. "Do you like the lyrics or something?" She paused as she realized something. "I…" she began, "I didn't know you knew Chinese…"

Neji sighed. _Well, it wasn't an exhausted kind of sigh_, Sakura observed silently. _More like a…_ She paused and blinked, unable to complete that train of thought. What kind of sigh was it, really? Her head whipped back to Neji as he answered, "It's…" His voice trailed off and Sakura didn't say anything, waiting for him to continue.

At last the Hyuuga shook his head. "It's… nothing," he mumbled.

* * *

_Augh._

Tenten felt like such a wreck. Not a car wreck either. It was more like a… a ship wreck or a plane wreck or something.

To be honest, she didn't know where she was going. Throughout most of the day already, she had wandered aimlessly throughout town. The girl held the bag of food in her hand heavily, like it was a burden of some sort, and kept sighing every now and then. Her thoughts were out of priority and each kept slipping back and forth into mixed up categories. The most apparent ones were Neji and Sakura and Tenten did her best to shove those out of the way.

"You have a freaking birthday party to sit through!" she seethed angrily to herself. "Why the hell are you thinking about those two?! You have to concentrate on how the hell you're going to act in front of them and… nygah – AHHHHHH!" She really had to take this one step at a time. The party was a little ways off anyways. It was a Sunday. The party was on Wednesday.

About three days for relaxation. Kinda.

"Just do what you normally do around him," Tenten instructed herself. "Just act normally."

Half of her… Ok, more like ¾ of her wanted to just go back to Ino's apartment and never go back to the Hyuuga residence. But a part of her knew that she would be in deep trouble if she didn't and… She sighed again, blowing a stray hair out of her face. Either way, she had to make her way back to the household.

Her thoughts shifted to Ino and the others. What the hell was she going to tell them? The girl's brows furrowed as she peered at that thought. _It's not like I'm in love with him or anything_, she thought to herself. _I'm just a little iffy around him._

* * *

As the house came into view, she saw Sakura waiting outside of the household, Neji's car parked nearby. Curious, Tenten crept closer. Why was she just standing outside like that?

Tenten walked over to the celebrity and with a shaky smile said, "Hey."

Sakura looked over at her and smiled nicely as well. "Hello," she greeted. Tenten didn't know what to say, so she said nothing. Silence came between them, and the girl finally spoke.

"So… Err…" she began, "What're you doing out here? Err, I mean, why aren't you inside?"

Sakura gave a wistful sigh as she looked at the house. "Well… I… I don't know if Neji's uncle will…" She paused and then turned to Tenten with a shaky smile on her face. "Never… Nevermind," she said finally. "It doesn't matter." There was another pause. And then:

"Your birthday is coming soon, right?" she asked.

Tenten's eyes grew wide. "Err… Not… Well, not –"

"Ah… Wait!" Sakura rummaged through her bag and pulled out a card. She handed it to the girl in front of her. Tenten stared at it for a moment and then quickly stuck out her hand to pluck it from Sakura's fingers. She glanced over at it as she rotated it between her thumbs and pointer fingers. The girl arched an eyebrow in curiosity.

"It's an invitation," Sakura explained to her confused impression, "to a party I'm having soon. There will be a lot of famous people there. Food and –"

"Wait," Tenten said hastily, "Will it be free?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes in confusion. "… Uh… _Yes_…?"

The girl grinned. "Alright! I'll be there!" she cried happily. "I'm sure Hia- Uncle would –" Tenten stopped in mid-sentence. She was reminded of the time when she had begun reading the newspaper about Sakura… And… Her eyes narrowed and she looked at the girl in front of her.

Sakura cocked her head to the side. "… Is something wrong?" she asked hesitantly.

Tenten shook her head rapidly. "No… No! Nevermind. Err…" She ran a tongue over her lips in thought and she grabbed Sakura's wrist. "Hey," she said hurriedly, "Why don't you come inside?"

The pink-haired girl's eyes widened. "W-What? N-No. It's fine –"

"Don't worry," Tenten butted in determinedly. "Just come in for a sec… You must be freezing out here…"

Sakura still shook her head. "No. I'm –"

Her hesitant replies were left unheard, however, as Tenten reached out for the doorknob and opened the front door with a bang. The first thing she saw was Neji snap straight up in the living room. Kurenai (who was wincing at the damaged flower print) and Asuma were present with Lee and Gai standing up. Hiashi was to the side of him with a grim look that just became even grimmer as he made eye contact with Sakura. The girl quickly looked down on the floor.

Taking notice of Sakura's action, Tenten quickly put on a big smile – despite the serious atmosphere. She felt everyone's eyes on her. Neji was staring at her especially hard, and she took a deep breath, done planning out what she was to do next. "Uncle!" she cried out happily. She lifted up her right arm and put it down forcefully around Sakura's shoulders. The girl next to her leaned forward a bit from the sudden impact.

"Uncle, look at the new friend I made today!"

There was a long silence and Tenten had a feeling that this wasn't such a good idea. Sure enough, Hiashi sighed, turning back to his cup of tea. "Tenten," he stated severely. "Don't –"

"But… But wait!" the girl cried, hastily pulling out the card from her pocket. "Look what she gave me Uncle!" She thrust it in the air. "She gave me an invitation to a nice party," Tenten explained. "So… Uh… Can I go? … Please?"

For the first time, Hiashi hesitated. Neji kept staring at Tenten. The rest of them were staring at Hiashi, waiting for his response. At last he gave a shaky smile to Tenten that eventually seemed to look branded on his face. "O-Of course…" he said slowly. "You can go…" Everybody looked at him in surprise, but he took a deep breath. "Tenten, why don't you go… why don't you go upstairs for awhile?" he suggested. He turned to Sakura with a hardened gaze. "I – _We_, have some things to discuss."

Tenten's eyes widened. "Wha? But Sakura's really nice and –" She stopped as Hiashi gave her one of "those looks" that made her feel like she was see-through. Understanding, she took one last look at Sakura and then nodded. She went up the stairs.

* * *

Hiashi took a deep breath. He waved the others out, but motioned for Neji and Sakura to sit down on the sofa. There was a moment of silence as the man closed his eyes in deep though, sorting out his thoughts and what he was going to say. At last he sighed and opened them again.

"I suppose I should thank you for inviting Tenten," he said slowly. "It was rather thoughtful of you."

Sakura, who was looking at her hands, snapped her head up in surprise, giving a small, warm smile. "It's no problem, really," she replied lightly. Neji looked surprised that his uncle was actually able to thank someone for once. _Well, to someone he isn't quite fond of_, he corrected mentally.

Hiashi just nodded his head. "It seems that… Tenten has taken a liking to you," he stated. "I will allow your presence because she enjoys your company." He turned to Neji and raised a cynical eyebrow. "However, if I find that you hurt her in some way…" He shifted his attention back to Sakura. "… You will no longer be welcomed in this household. Anymore. At… all. Understand?"

Sakura nodded her head rapidly.

"Alright. You may leave."

Hiashi rolled himself to his room on his wheelchair while Neji led Sakura toward the door and out of the house. He bid her farewell and closed the door, still taking in the information he just heard from his uncle. He didn't know what to make most of it.

"_Tenten has taken a liking to you. I will allow your presence because she enjoys your company."_

Neji sighed but had a satisfied look to him. It seemed he owed Tenten again.

* * *

"Wow…" Moegi put down her cup of water and grinned. "Wow. I can't believe it. It's like… It's like a happy ending for you!"

Sakura smiled. "Yeah," she said happily. "I'm glad it worked out in the end…" Her voice trailed off, however, remembering the strange twinkle in Neji's eyes as his cousin had come by to pick up the groceries in the car. They couldn't really be… But still…

"Your love is fixed," Moegi declared. "Just like your necklace."

Her head snapped up and she frowned. Her attention went back to the broken replica that was currently in the corner of her desk. "I'm not sure… if his heart belongs to me just yet."

* * *

Dinner was relatively silent. Everybody had already finished. Tenten was still out of it from that morning. She kept rolling her broccoli back and forth across her plate, through the mashed potatoes and the carrots and the –

"Tenten. Stop doing that. It's revolting." She nearly dropped her fork from surprise. That's when she noticed everyone was done. She rolled her eyes, however, at the person who the voice belonged to: Neji. _Jeez_, she thought angrily. _I help him with his girl problems and he's still messing around with me?! Who does he think I am?! Some kind of –_

Her thoughts were interrupted with a, "Do you want to go anywhere tomorrow?" This time, Tenten really did drop her fork with a clatter, sinking in the mashed potatoes.

Did he just say what she thought he just said?

Whoa.

Neji… Being _nice_?

Cynical maybe… Pessimistic maybe… Annoying maybe… But… nice? Oh _no_. Oh no, no, no, no, NO.

Tenten turned to him, confusion written on her face. "… Did you just… _Say_ what I _think_ you just said?"

Neji snorted. "Well?" he prompted. "Where do you want to go?"

The girl picked her fork out of the potatoes and grimaced at the fluffy potatoes etched around the handle. Gah. She knew she should have eaten those first and then the peas. "… Well…" she began, putting the fork down on the napkin beside her, "I do have a place… But…" She gave him an incredulous look.

"_Why?_"

All was silent until the Hyuuga took a deep breath and sighed. He muttered something under his breath that Tenten couldn't really hear. She raised an eyebrow. "What'd you say?"

"Thank you," he said louder, but hastily. "If you didn't…" He trailed off, not really good with these kinds of things. There was a moment of silence until he finally managed to utter a sheepish, "Forget it," instead.

Although Neji was currently frustrated, Tenten couldn't help but smirk a little. She knew what he was trying to say. Was THE Hyuuga Neji _that_ incapable of expressing his own thoughts and ideas? Wow. _Hmm…_ she thought to herself, _does that mean I'm actually **smarter** than him -_

"… So?"

She snapped out of her thoughts again. "… Eh?" she muttered.

Neji rolled his eyes again. "Where do you want to go?"

Her eyes widened. "Wait… You're… You're _serious_?"

Neji sighed, wondering why this was so difficult to grasp. (And maybe why the hell he suggested it in the first place.) "So?" he asked again.

Tenten grinned. "The 63rd Building," she said.

* * *

The next day, Tenten made her way though the house with a happy face, doing all of the chores. She was going to ride up to the top of the 63rd Building tonight. Her grin grew wider as she made Hiashi's tea. _I'll finally get to see it_, she thought to herself eagerly.

Who ever thought that Iruka and Kakashi's bad habits would actually do something good for once?

Time passed slowly throughout the day.

* * *

Night came and Neji and Tenten made their way to the 63rd Building.

The girl's eyes were shimmering in pure delight, ignoring how Neji kept rolling his eyes every time she stopped to look at a brochure or a poster advertising the glitzy lights and spectacular views from the top. She was like an infant, curious in every little thing. Neji grunted as she stopped at another poster. Part of him was annoyed, but part of him was also amused. Very amused.

They walked over to pay for their tickets, Tenten 'ooh-ing' and 'ah-ing' at the pictures the brochure in her hands displayed. The man rolled his eyes again for the umpteenth time as he handed over the money – enough for two people.

"Why are you obsessed with this building?" Neji asked dryly. "It's just a building."

Tenten snapped her head up. "It's not just a -!" She stopped in her protest and then looked back at the pamphlet. "Oh… Nevermind. Forget it." She huffed as she flipped open one side. "People like you wouldn't get it," she muttered under her breath.

The Hyuuga arched an eyebrow, hearing her last sentence. "You're being prejudice," he stated.

The girl lifted up her head. "What?" she asked. "I wasn't being prejudice… I was just –"

"Yes," he cut in, "you were."

"No, I wasn't. I was just – Ugh!" She blew her bangs up in frustration and then sighed. "Ok. Fine," she said. "I admit it. Well… But…" She took a deep breath as she crinkled the edge of the paper, debating how to say her words. "It's hard not to be opinionated around people you," she said finally.

"Besides…" She turned to him. "I don't even _know_ you. To me you just have –" She paused, searching for the right word. At last, she said, "- _issues_."

He narrowed his eyes. "Issues," he repeated.

Tenten smiled sheepishly and made a so-so motion with her left hand. "A… little," she managed, although it was the total opposite of what she _really_ thought.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Issues?" He received the tickets and both of them began to walk towards the elevators.

She rolled her eyes, finally closing the pamphlet. "Do I really need to say them all?" she mumbled to herself.

"Do you have a choice?" he parried. "If –" The man was interrupted by the phone ringing in his pocket. He looked at it and sighed – a sigh that was recognized by Tenten as a "you again" kind of sigh. But it sounded quite happy. And… pleased? She watched him flip the phone open. "Yes, Sakura?" he asked. Neji began to walk a little ways from her, finally stopping in the middle of the lobby.

Being respectful, Tenten didn't follow him. But she couldn't help but overhear their conversation and hear him say, "Dinner? Now?" She felt her heart sink. She knew that he wouldn't refuse the offer.

Sure enough he answered, "Yes. I'll be there in a minute." He went over to Tenten, unaware that she had already heard most of the dialogue exchange. "Sakura invited me to dinner," he said. Neji looked at his watch. "There's still time before it closes," he continued. "I'll come back when I'm done."

Tenten swallowed the lump in her throat, aware of how he didn't even ask if it was fine with her. "… Sure," she managed to choke out. "It's fine by me."

Neji nodded and then ran out of the lobby, leaving Tenten behind.

She looked over at the entrance and considered going in by herself. Finally, she decided to wait for him and leaned back against one of the gigantic toy teddy bears that were set up for the holidays in winter. She guessed that he would be rather miffed if she just went in on her own. "Besides," she said to herself, sighing at the same time:

"How long could a dinner take?"

* * *

Neji entered the restaurant. It didn't take him long to find Sakura, who was sitting at a table dressed casually.

Her eyes sparkled as she spotted him and she waved over to him. The man, who seemed to keep his cold façade, was happy as well as he strode over and greeted her.

"I'm glad you could make it," she said. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything," she added hastily. "I just… I just wanted to have a dinner between the two of us."

Neji nodded in understanding. Sakura's eyes widened as the ends of his lips turned up in a small smile. But… It was almost a smile. Not quite. Something was just… The girl quickly shrugged the thought off though as she gestured to the seat across from her. She watched him as he sat down.

In fact, Neji also couldn't help but shift his thoughts over to Tenten when Sakura had mentioned "interrupting anything" in her sentence. Alas, he, too, shrugged off that thought as he picked up the menu and began to order.

He was sure that she would understand.

* * *

Tenten looked at her watch again. About forty-five minutes have passed by. He still didn't show up.

"Err… Miss?"

The girl swiftly picked her head up in surprise. She saw a woman, who she recognized as the ticket lady near the elevator, stand in front of her. Tenten quickly lifted herself off the giant bear she was leaning on and smoothed her sweatshirt down. "Y-Yeah?" she asked, wondering if she violated some rule.

She watched as the woman gestured over to the tickets in her hand. "Do you want to go in now?" she asked her. "You do have tickets…"

"No thanks," was the automatic reply. "I'm… I'm just waiting for someone," Tenten explained.

* * *

"And then at the match with the –"

Sakura was cut off by Neji's phone that was now ringing. The Hyuuga looked at the name in the screen and flipped it open. "What?" he asked. Sakura went back to eating some of the eloquent fish on her plate, partially listening to the conversation. There was silence and she saw Neji's eyebrows furrow in… annoyance? She could never really tell what he was thinking anymore.

"I'm busy," he said impassively. "I'm eating." Another moment of silence. "Just wait a little longer," he said.

He hung up and turned his mind back to Sakura. "What were you saying?"

* * *

Tenten held the dead phone in her hand for awhile snapping it shut.

"'Wait a little longer,' huh?" she muttered angrily at the blank screen. "Why you little –" The girl stopped herself as she shoved the phone back into the front pocket of her sweatshirt. She counted to ten, trying to calm herself down.

"Alright," she sighed at last. She took the phone out of her pocket again. "Hyuuga Neji," she said to it, "you're lucky I have more patience than you."

* * *

The girl looked at her watch, widened her eyes at the time, and then looked at the clock on the wall to confirm if her watch was on time. About an hour had already passed from the last time she had checked. She grudgingly shoved her hands back into her sweatshirt pocket.

"Just a little longer…" Tenten mumbled.

She turned to the entrance and gaped as the ticket lady pulled out a sign in front of it.

CLOSED.

* * *

For Neji, time passed quickly. Sakura filled up the empty space about her travels all over the world. How she trained with Moegi in the afternoons and among other things. He cut in every now and then with a remark or a question, and she had answered happily – glad that he was interested in what she was saying.

When it was time to pay the bill, Neji took it before Sakura had the chance to protest against his paying. He turned his cell phone off, trying to get his tiny guilt off and to also make it stop ringing whenever Tenten called. Which was a lot.

Both of them left together. Neji dropped Sakura off at the hotel.

In the lobby, he turned his phone on and rolled his eyes when it rang. He picked up.

* * *

"What?" came his monotonous voice. "If this is about the building, I'm coming over…"

Tenten paid no attention to what he was saying next as she clenched her fist inside her sweatshirt pocket and worked to keep her anger in. "Don't bother coming," she cut into whatever he said last. "It's closed."

"Closed…" His voice trailed off and then, "It's only been about an hour –"

"Two hours," she corrected. "It's been two hours." She took a deep breath as she took a look at the entrance, ready to say whatever she was going to say next. The girl had gone it over a few times in her mind until she thought that it was pretty well-thought out.

"Neji," she continued, "if you're going to bring me here as a thank you, at least have the decency to tell me if you're going to show up. That way I won't have to waste my time waiting for you."

Without listening to what he was going to say next, she hung up and made her way out of the building.

* * *

Sasuke had been driving again, planning to visit the Hyuuga household to see if Tenten and Neji were back from the mountains. Neji's disappearance let him skip about two days of work. And then he had heard from his mother who had heard from Kurenai who had heard from Hiashi that Neji and Sakura were back together again.

He himself did not know how it happened. Neji and Sakura had a rift between each other. What – or who – had been the bridge that connected them across?

Sasuke continued to drive until he came to a sudden halt. There, walking down the pathway, was Tenten. Without thinking twice, the Uchiha jumped out of his car to catch up to her.

* * *

Sensing someone behind her, Tenten turned around and her eyes widened at who she saw. Sasuke's steps slowed down as he went beside her. The girl was quite bewildered at his appearance, and finally managed to utter, "What are you doing here?"

The man next to her shrugged. "I was driving," he said. He turned to her. "What are you doing here?"

Tenten shrugged as well. "I was just…" She paused and heaved a sigh. "It's…" She turned her head up to the sky and then back down, shaking it. "Nevermind. Forget it." She watched Sasuke raise an eyebrow in an understatement, but he didn't pursue the matter. He noticed how she kept looking back at the building – the 63rd Building, he now realized. It was clear to him now.

Both of them continued walking for awhile, until he stopped. Perplexed, Tenten stopped as well. "… What?"

"Do you still want to see the city?" he asked.

* * *

The drove to an area far away from downtown. It was tourist area, but there were only a few people littering the steps of the small balcony-like structure. Tenten gaped at the beautiful view – surprised at all the lights that could be visible from far away.

Sasuke walked by and handed her a cup of coffee. "You don't have to be high to see a good view."

Tenten nodded, taking the cup and planting herself down on one of the stone steps. Sasuke did the same. They both sat side by side for awhile, not knowing what to say. At last, the Uchiha started a conversation with, "So?"

Tenten chewed the rim of her cup ( Sasuke realizing that she had done the same the first time they had met ). "So, what?" she prompted.

He sighed and didn't answer, knowing that she knew what he was talking about already. A moment of silence passed.

"I'm confused."

Sasuke glanced over at her and didn't say anything for a few minutes. Then, "About?"

The girl continued to chew the cup rim in a puzzled and a seemingly dazed state. "I hate him… and then… like him at the same time," she whispered inaudibly. However, Sasuke heard what she said.

"Do you like someone?"

Tenten nearly dropped her cup. Did she say that out loud? "… W-What?" she asked, not turning to look at him. He didn't say anything and kept silent once again. She didn't know how to respond, but then she finally said a shaky, "… Yeah… I… I guess…" She didn't notice how his eyes narrowed.

"Who?"

* * *

**A/N. **Wow. Thanks for all the reviews I received. Glad to hear that no one is getting sleepy from all of these chapters. XD It's getting longer than I thought it would.

I took time to edit the previous chapters, searching for grammar mistakes ( thus, the long wait ). Surprisingly, I found many. XD I still think I missed one… somewhere. Ah well. I'll edit later.  
I also want to say that I don't mean to make Sakura extremely mean/annoying. It's hard to adjust with the characters. Sorry to Sakura fans, etc.

I also noticed that I forgot to mention my favorite line from Ch. 15. So…

* * *

_Not only that, but he knows for sure that she didn't know about what he knew and that he knew what she didn't know which was he avoiding her as well, because he knew about what she knew about what both of them knew last night which was both of them knowing that they were right and thinking that each other were wrong._

* * *

**Thanks to those who read and reviewed. Or just read. That's cool. Thanks for 200… or 250 reviews. :)**

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	20. birthday party

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

"Do you like someone?"

Tenten nearly dropped her cup. "… What?" she asked, not turning to look at him. He didn't say anything and kept silent once again. She didn't know how to respond, but then she finally said a shaky, "… Yeah… I… I guess…" She didn't notice how his eyes narrowed.

"Who?"

Tenten's head snapped up in immediate surprise and she turned to look at him, repeating once again, "What?" She couldn't help but think that he… he… Wasn't he being nosy? Just… a _little_? However, as she expected, Sasuke didn't repeat the question again. The girl figured that he hated to repeat things. She shifted her attention back to the city lights, searching for the right way to answer the question. She didn't want to say outright… Well…

"I like… I like a snowman."

She watched Sasuke raise a cynical eyebrow. "I see…" He didn't pursue the issue, but she knew that he wasn't totally convinced.

Tenten took a moment to think again in order to backup her answer, and as she did, she let a light smile through. "It looks happy… Almost cute when you look at it," she said slowly. "It looks nice." Then the girl frowned and her eyebrows furrowed. "But when you get close to it… It's actually cold… very cold."

Sasuke still kept silent. He knew it was a metaphor linked to someone… He took a moment to sift through a handful of people that he knew she had met before, but, clearly, it was someone he did not know. At least… he didn't think so… but maybe…

The man shook his head. "Forget it," he told her. He got up and extended a hand to help Tenten up. "I'll drive you back."

* * *

Hiashi was entirely pissed when Neji came home without Tenten. But…

Hiashi was entirely _pleased_ when he saw Sasuke bring Tenten home.

Together. Alone. A pair…

TOGETHER.

The man couldn't help but break into a wide smile, unlike the deep, irritated frown he gave to Neji. What happens when you see a family friend walking your niece home? Well… It came as to no surprise when Hiashi's match-making mechanisms in his head began to whir in motion. Ah yes…

This was going to be fun.

"Thank you, Sasuke, for bringing our dear Tenten home!" he said declared loudly. Damn… That smile just wouldn't go away! He turned to Tenten who seemed frazzled by his loud outburst. "You must be exhausted," he said to her. "Go upstairs and go to bed. And as for you…" Hiashi turned to Sasuke. "Why don't you stay for a moment?"

Tenten turned to Sasuke and said a light, "Thanks." Then she trudged up the stairs and walked over to her bedroom door. She stopped momentarily and looked behind her, lingering her gaze on the door of Neji's room for a moment. Then the girl shook her head and opened to her door quickly, slamming it shut.

* * *

Neji had perked up at the sound of a door opening. He got up to go downstairs to check on Tenten, but stopped as he heard the oh-so-familiar sound of his Uncle's voice.

"Thank you, Sasuke, for bringing our dear Tenten home!"

Neji's eyes widened in bafflement. Sasuke was there? Tenten was there…? They were both at the doorway, meaning that Sasuke and bought Tenten home after all…

HE bought HER home.

Neji could've sworn his left eye just twitched.

Together. Alone. A pair…

TOGETHER.

(The Hyuuga genes could do wonders.)

His first immediate impulse was to charge down there and drag Tenten up and give her a lecture again. In fact, he began to reach for the doorknob once more, but stopped as he heard a thump of heavy feet go up the stairs. A few seconds later, he heard the door of Tenten's room open and then slam shut.

The mere fact that she didn't come into his room screeching her head off appalled him greatly.

Nonetheless, he still turned the knob and pushed the door open. He walked over to Tenten's bedroom door, prepared to knock, but stopped once more once he heard the shower turn on. Not wanting to repeat… _past_ events, the Hyuuga brought down his fist reluctantly.

He'll just tell her tomorrow.

* * *

The next morning, Tenten stretched out and quickly put on a change of clothes. Her mind was clean of whatever had happened last night – a little groggy from the lack of sleep. It was when she opened the door, did she remember.

Standing across from her, dressed for work, was Neji.

Tenten was quite close to going back into her room and slamming the door behind her – acting like a little kid. However, she straightened herself up and brushed past the Hyuuga, making her way toward the stairs without a word. A conversation would be awkward right now and, in truth, she didn't want to talk to that no-good, backstabbing, idiotic moron anyway.

"Just ignore him," she muttered to herself. "Avoid him…" She nodded her head and shrugged as if she no longer cared. "Yeah. Whatever."

She jumped down the last two steps and made her way to the kitchen, preparing Hiashi's tea. As she was pouring the boiled water, she stiffened as she felt someone else's presence in the room.

Neji was at the doorway, watching her without saying anything. Hyuugas don't apologize often. And…

"You should've gone without me."

… Neji was clearly no exception.

Tenten did her best not to slam the tea cup down on the tray in anger.

Clearly her best wasn't enough and there was a loud clatter as the cup hit the solid surface of the tray.

"Well, I'm glad we agree for once!" she spat out, obviously not hiding the venom in that sentence. She shoved her way past him with her tray toward Hiashi's room. She would've stomped her way over, but then she would slosh tea around.

After that, it was silent the entire morning and night between the two of them.

And the morning after that.

* * *

Neji did his best to try and listen to what everybody else was saying during the meeting. Of course, he wasn't doing a very good job. A day of silence and a morning of silence can do that to you.

Twirling the pen around in his fingers, he wondered for the fifth time why the hell he had said those words instead of sorry. He was going to… he was _supposed_ to. But fate had been cruel and twisted his mouth and tongue in a weird way making them come out… _differently_.

For once, he was not noticing how Sasuke had his eyes closed in a quiet nap – clearly quite bored of the meeting (as usual). He was also not aware of Mikoto crumpling up paper balls, throwing them at Sasuke's head when the board director wasn't watching, and harrumphing whenever Sasuke managed to dodge them miraculously without opening his eyes.

Sasuke, in truth, wasn't sleeping (although he was very close to). His mind was focused on what Tenten had said before… In truth, he was quite miffed at her response. However… it was clear that the person she liked did not know that she liked him. And so… perhaps he had a chance. A very small chance. Not only that, but he also reminded himself that she was not the real niece.

There was something about that girl that made him feel natural, but he didn't really know what exactly.

_A snowman_, he thought. _How amusing_.

* * *

Everything was totally normal in Ino's apartment.

Shikamaru was sleeping (as usual), Ino was yelling (as usual), and Naruto was pressing his freshly dried Ramen House work uniform by the TV watching the latest episode of a Korean drama (as usual as could be). There were no mishaps in the apartment – only your daily dose of trio laziness, loudness, and… laundry? Ah. Either way, nothing was wrong.

Until the doorbell rang.

There were a few moments until the ring finally registered in everybody's minds. Ah yes. The apartment doesn't get too many visitors that often. And so…

"Shikamaru!" Ino's voice was shrill and Shikamaru cringed.

Inwardly, though.

"Get the door you lazy bum!" she ranted. "Do something for once!"

The doorbell rang five more times.

Shikamaru shifted slightly in his position and continued to look out the window with a bored face on. "You go get it," he muttered. "I'm busy." Ino wanted to bean him on the top of his head with something but, sadly, she was holding this month's _Glamour Girls_ magazine which she didn't want to crinkle just because of some moron.

The doorbell ringing turned to loud knocks.

"Naruto!" she barked. "Get the door!"

"Not now, not now!" came the boy's hurried voice. "Can't you see I'm doing something?!" Naruto was currently frowning at the sleeve cuffs. One was a little bit wider than the other. Now how would he fix that? Perhaps he could ask the manager if he could exchange the uniform for another. After all, he couldn't refuse a freshly washed, pressed, orange –

"Get the door or I'll press that iron so hard that it'll burn a hole through your uniform!" Ino snapped in one sentence as she flipped to the horoscope section. She brought the magazine closer to her face as she made a quick scan for her own astrology sign –

"Why don't you get it?" Shikamaru muttered tiredly. At the corner of his mouth he mumbled a quiet "troublesome."

Ino blinked.

She hadn't thought of _that_.

Not wanting to be seen as lazy as Shikamaru was, the girl reluctantly put down her magazine and went over to the door, opening it after what seemed to be the umpteenth knock. She didn't bother to look through the eyehole since she thought it would be Tenten.

Ino's eyes widened as she stared at the person… _people_ at the door. Her eyes then narrowed trying to figure out who the hell they were.

"Aren't you –"

"Hmmm… Tenten doesn't seem to be here." Kakashi moved past Ino into the apartment, not paying attention to the surprised girl. Iruka followed after him, scratching the back of his neck. Unlike Kakashi, he took notice of the blonde at the doorway.

"Sorry about barging in like this," he said to Ino. "But Naruto said –"

"Ne, dad!" Naruto was holding up his work uniform, seeing how it looked from far away. It was clear that he was not surprised by the pair's appearance. "You know how to sew, right? What if I have a sleeve cuff that is wider than the other?"

_Then _Iruka brushed past Ino, ignoring her, and going over to him. He shook his head. "You just have to re-sew the ends of the –"

"Hmmm…" Kakashi was taking his own sweet time "observing" the food in the refrigerator. "Marmalade," he muttered, lifting up a jar, deciding whether to eat it or not. "Mm… Nah!" He threw the jar back into the fridge and then went to the pantry…

Ino was still standing bewildered at the door until she shook her head, coming back to earth. "What do you think you're doing?!" she shrieked to Kakashi who was eating a biscuit and also reading…

"G-Give me that!" she cried, swiping the _Glamorous Girls_ magazine from his clutches.

* * *

Tenten made her way to Ino's apartment, prepared to tell them about everything.

Well… mostly everything.

The atmosphere was cold, windy, and… cold. Very cold. In fact, it was snowing. And when it was snowing she would usually be in a cheery mood.

As she got to the elevator, she pressed the up button. When the elevator doors didn't open, she began pressing it repeatedly. At last she looked up at the indicator, irritated. "What the hell is wrong with the stupid elevator?!" she muttered heatedly to herself. She nearly slapped herself as she saw the sign tacked to the door:

OUT OF ORDER.

Alas, poor Tenten had to climb up the stairs all the way to the top.

She wasn't in a cheery mood to begin with.

* * *

"What are you doing here?!" Ino demanded. "You're supposed to be… be… be in Japan or something!"

"Uh…" Iruka bit the bottom of his lip in apprehension. "It's…"

"It's nothing," Kakashi finished, choosing to shrug off the unknown issue. "Nothing."

* * *

**Sunday – Gamble House**

* * *

_Hinata went into the house, having the contacts of both mysterious men. The woman had said that both of them usually hung out here… Well, one of them anyway. The girl let out a nervous smile as she began going to the slot machine room. As soon as she found them, everything was going to be alright._

_She entered the room, expecting to see one of the men – one with silver-gray hair and the other with brown hair and a scar on his nose. However, she saw no one that fit the description that she was given. Her smile turned into a frown as she approached one man who was clearly the supervisor of the machines._

_The man perked up as she went over to him._

"_Excuse me," she began hesitantly, "I'm looking for these two men." Hinata handed the photograph to him. "Did you see them anywhere?"_

_She watched as the man's expression turned to surprise and then to nervousness. "I… I… uh…" The man twiddled his fingers and then said, "No. I haven't seen them anywhere."_

_Hinata's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you… Are you positive?" she asked._

_The man nodded. "Very positive," he confirmed quickly._

_She shook her head. "But I –"_

"_A little lady like you shouldn't be here," he continued, ignoring her protest. He ushered her out of the room. "This is a gamble house. You better leave."_

"_But –"_

"_Good day!"_

_The door was closed gently in her face and a distraught Hinata walked away._

_Meanwhile, she happened to cross a man with silver-hair who was coming in the same direction from a different hallway._

_Such a shame that she didn't notice._

_And Kakashi went over to the room and was quickly intercepted by the same man that Hinata had just talked to._

"_Hey Obito!" he greeted. "How are –"_

"_Kakashi!" he whispered harshly. "There was someone looking for you!"_

_The man's face was one of puzzlement. "What?!" he cried. "There was –"_

"_You better leave!" Obito continued. "She might come back!"_

* * *

Neji was exiting the company building now when a voice stopped him.

"Neji."

He turned around and found Sasuke walking casually up next to him, although his face was a little bit more serious than usual. Not in the best of moods to investigate right now, he picked up his pace. "What is it?" he muttered. "What do you want?"

"Tell Tenten to come to the balcony tonight," he said. "I have to tell her something."

The Hyuuga's eyes narrowed. "What balcony?" he snapped.

Sasuke shook his head. "She'll know." Before Neji could get anything else out of him, Sasuke already walked off.

* * *

"Where is Tenten?"

Kurenai looked up from the newspaper she was reading. "What?" she asked Hiashi. "What'd you say?"

The man rolled his eyes. "Tenten," he said. "Did anybody see her this morning?"

Kurenai shrugged. "She'll be back tonight for her party," she assured him. "Neji did tell her about it… Right?" The flipped another page of the newspaper and glanced with interest at a soap opera review in one column.

Asuma came in and peered over her shoulder, glancing at the article. "Sounds sappy," he muttered to himself as silently as he could. However, his remark was heard by Kurenai and she delivered a sharp slap to his head.

"Quiet," she snapped. There was a small pause as she added hastily, "Did you see Tenten anywhere?"

The man shrugged. "She always goes off in the mornings. Heh…" He picked up a piece of apple and sat down, munching on it. "Maybe she visits her father or something," he joked.

Hiashi's eyes flashed mysteriously however. "Really, now…?"

* * *

"Damn… STAIRS!" Tenten trudged her way up the last five steps. With a tired shove she blasted the stair doorway open without even bothering to close it – leaving it swing back and forth on its hinges. The girl straightened her buns, mentally noting that the first thing she was going to do once she was in the apartment was to demand Ino to make a complaint call to the manager.

She didn't climb twenty-one damn flights of stairs for nothing.

The girl managed to get to the door without doing a face plant and gave a weary knock on it.

No answer.

She knocked ten more times.

Nada.

"Hello?" She proceeded to bang over and over on the door again once she received no answer. "HEY! HELLLLOOOOOO?!"

The door opened quickly and Tenten halted her fist in mid air, careful not to hit…

"Iruka?!" the girl shrieked. "What are you doing here?!"

* * *

"Uncle…" Neji was raising an eyebrow at… _something_ that was in Hiashi's hands. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing!" the man said quickly. "Nothing… Err…" He looked around the room, realizing that only he and Neji were the ones present. He grinned inwardly. _Great_, he thought. _Now I only have to get him out of the picture and then…_

"Neji!" he gasped. "You hear that?"

Neji remained emotionless. "What?" he dead-panned.

"You hear that? I think I hear Kurenai's voice!"

The man narrowed his eyebrows. "I don't hear anything," he stated, beginning to wonder if his uncle was becoming deaf… Either that or delusional.

"Don't question me!" he cried, shoving Neji out of the room. "Now… Now come back when you finish helping Kurenai!"

Neji swerved back, his eyes narrowed in deep suspicion. "Wha-"

However, he was sadly cut off by the slamming of the door.

* * *

"Aren't you happy to see us, Tenten?!" Kakashi cried enthusiastically.

The girl responded with the opposite, grunting with a muttered, "Not especially…" She made her point even more as she stomped up the stairs to the room on the second floor, ready to calculate how many more years she would have to work under Neji. But she hadn't noticed that she had dropped something in her rampage.

It was a cell phone.

And it began to ring.

"Who's that?" Ino wondered out loud. A few moments, she shrugged it off. "Oh well," she muttered. "It's probably some lunatic or whatever." There was a clatter and Ino's voice turned hostile. "Wait! What're you – KAKASHI!"

However, the man had already picked it up and answered the call. "Hello?" he asked. His face went through a series of changes until it landed on confusion. He turned to Iruka. "It's for you," he said, bewildered, and tossed it to him.

"For me?" Iruka asked. "Who would want to talk to me?" Kakashi turned around and muttered something like, "I know." However, he ignored this as he talked into the phone. "Hello?" he asked hesitantly. It could've been some stalker or something. You never know…

* * *

"Hello?" Hiashi asked, trying to keep his voice down. "Is this Tenten's father?"

* * *

"… Yes…" Iruka responded the question suspiciously. "I'm Tenten's father –"

Ino and Naruto's ears perked up at the last said statement. "WHAT?!" they both screamed.

"What?" Iruka turned around and his eyes grew wide as he saw a flash of orange and then a few stars. Naruto had just done a full-blown tackle on the man and he wrestled the phone from Iruka's grip. Kakashi was staring at Naruto with a suspicious look.

His thoughts worked to catch up on what had happened. "Did he just –"

"YEAH! NICE TO HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN!" Naruto's voice was loud as he picked himself up from the ground and dusted himself off. "THIS IS TENTEN'S _REAL_ DAD," he spluttered. "THE OTHER ONE WAS AN IMPOSTER."

Iruka got up only to be shoved down by Ino again as she fumbled her way over to Naruto, kicking a sleeping Shikamaru on her way as well.

* * *

On Hiashi's side of the phone… Well, it was a bit chaotic. The man was sitting on his bed, trying to register what the sounds on the other line was. There was a loud thump and a clatter of, his guess, plastic sandwich containers? And then there was a loud cough before…

"YEAH! NICE TO HEAR FROM-" Hiashi winced and moved his head away from the phone. He took a moment to recover and mentally noted to himself to tell Kurenai to buy some q-tips for his aching ears. He shook his head and looked around the room for any sign of people, before turning back to the conversation.

"Yes," he said briskly. "Excellent to hear from you again. Now I wanted to-"

* * *

"NO!" Naruto cried, looking at the paper underneath his nose. The boy was rather confused as to why he had said that… More so, why Ino and circled that on the piece of paper. The man didn't even ask anything yet and Naruto was getting nervous by the dead silence on the other side of the phone.

So, for good judgment, Naruto yelled another "NO!" into the phone.

Ino was shaking her head after Naruto repeated his answer again. There was a rustle of napkins on the counter and Ino kicked him in the shins. "Stop making so much noise!" she whispered harshly. "How else am I supposed to hear?"

* * *

"NO! ………… NO!"

Hiashi's face twisted into confusion. "Pardon?" he asked into the phone. "Is something wrong?" His mind shifted to the things that Tenten's father could've been possibly doing right now.

Perhaps he was at a fancy restaurant and yelling at a waiter because of his order. Or maybe he was at the most prestigious tuxedo shop in Korea and yelled at the man to get the stupid length right. Hiashi nodded. It had happened more than five times to him.

Clearly he didn't know how rich Tenten's family really was.

But Hiashi decided to continue with what he was going to say. "So…," he began. "Perhaps we can meet sometime –"

"No!"

Hiashi raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"Yes!"

"What?"

"I… uh… NO!"

"Huh?" There was a moment of silence. "Hello? Hello?"

More silence.

"Hello?"

At last, the man tugged the phone away from his ear and looked at it with bewilderment. The phone had gone dead.

Not wanting to believe that he had just been rejected like that, Hiashi mumbled a half-ass excuse like, "That tailor must be giving him a lot of trouble."

* * *

During the whole conversation, Tenten was banging her head against the pillow of her make-shift bed.

"I hate him!" she shouted. Her shouts were muffled by the pillow against her face, however. "I hate him; I hate him, I HATE HIM!" The girl shook her head rapidly. "I NEVER LIKED HIM! HE'S JUST A RETARDED IDIOT! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

She chucked the pillow on the other side of the room and sat down. How the hell was she supposed to work around Neji with all this tension around them? And more so, she liked – NO! She hated him! "He's an unpunctual bastard!" she shrieked. She was forgetting about her job!

That's right: her _job_.

Augh.

"This is getting too complicated," she muttered.

If Neji was a Denial King, Tenten was a Denial Queen.

* * *

Naruto gently placed the cell phone on the ground where Kakashi had found it, hoping that Tenten wouldn't have noticed that it had not left it's place on the wooden floorboards, although she had never saw it there in the beginning.

"Were you just me?" Iruka asked, dumbfounded. "Were you just –"

"Don't tell Tenten, ANYTHING," Ino snapped. "If she found out that we handled it so-"

"What is going on here?" Kakashi cried frustratingly. "Nothing's making sense –"

Shikamaru opened one lazy eye. "Tenten has a job," he said.

At this, Iruka arched an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked, interested. "How much does it –"

"She's working for some rich guy," Ino butted in. "You're lucky that she's earning so much money this quick!" She shook her head and huffed. "You guys are so selfish!" she chastised. "Tenten is working her ass off to pay back the debt! You're even luckier that she didn't chew your heads off once she saw you here."

"The debt…" Iruka muttered, clearly guilty. Even Kakashi averted his eyes depressingly to the floor. "Right." The man sighed. "We didn't want to make any trouble," he explained. "We were…" His voice trailed off and he came to a pause. And then, "Nevermind. Forget it."

Everyone perked up at the sound of Tenten coming down the stairs. She looked down at the floor and picked up the cell phone and flipped through her messages. "Hmm…" she muttered. "No one called." Perhaps she was hoping that Neji would've called to actually apologize to her. Hmm… As if that would happen.

But the group in front of her didn't need to know _that_.

Unbeknownst to her, Naruto and the others had previously panicked after finding out the message box installed in her cell phone. But, being the genius that he is, Shikamaru simply snatched the phone away from them – half awake, half asleep – and pressed the "delete" button that was displayed on the last message phoned to her.

But the girl in front of them didn't need to know _that_.

So Tenten switched her attention to the pair that had joined the party recently.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, a little annoyed. "I've been trying to find out where the hell you two were for weeks! Why didn't any of you answer your cell phone, _hmmm_?"

"We sold it," Kakashi explained, still feeling a little guilty on how she had been paying the debt back all on her own. There was a pause and he answered again, "Well, I sold Iruka's…" He gulped and rubbed his neck. "I kinda…"

Tenten narrowed her eyes. "You kinda what?" she demanded.

Iruka came in with, "He gambled his" before Kakashi could answer himself.

She swallowed up her anger with a deep breath of oxygen before exhaling. "Ok…" she whispered. "It's ok…" Perhaps punching and throwing pillows did help with controlling that anger chi throughout her body. So she clapped her hands together instead in contentment. "What time is it?" she asked Ino. "I might as well eat a little before going to the party –"

"PARTY?!" Ino screeched. "What party? Why weren't we invited? How come you didn't invite us? How come –"

"Because it's not really her party," Shikamaru interjected. He looked pointedly at Tenten and stated, "Isn't it."

She sighed and shook her head. "No," she confirmed. "The family says that the niece's birthday is today." She shrugged. "Maybe I can bring home leftovers or something. Hiashi might let me or Kurenai."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Why can't you just ask Neji –"

"**BECAUSE HE'S A MORON THAT'S WHY!**"

All conversation ended after that and Ino went to fry up some potatoes and onions or something.

But Iruka and Kakashi retreated to a room in the back of the house, still feeling guilty after what they had done. She was paying the debt back on her own and they weren't even helping! But they shrugged it off when they heard the stove turn off and the frying cease.

* * *

Moments later, Tenten returned to the Hyuuga household.

Her mood had been lifted with the laughing with her friends and maybe the sheer joy of seeing Iruka and even Kakashi safe and sound – not ending up as road kill in another god-forsaken country.

And Tenten knew that with all of this laughter and happiness, she was practically ready to face the cold-hearted beast that dwelled in it. She was ready… almost. "But!" she cried out to herself. "I'm going to be ready by the time I sit down in that chair. And _HE'LL_ be the one feeling awkward!" she shouted. "NOT. ME."

So she shoved open the gates and opened the door with the house key she had in her hand. She slowly opened it and put on that dazzling smile that the Hyuugas enjoyed so much.

* * *

"Tenten!" Hiashi cried, helping her over to the seat next to him. "We were wondering when you were going to show up. How was your… uh… _father_?" he asked. "Did he ever find the right size and color for his tux?"

The girl's smile turned into a frown and she looked at him. "What?" she inquired, confused. "What tux –"

"Nothing, nothing," Hiashi said quickly. "Nothing at all. Nothing. Nope. Never talked to him today or at three twenty-six in the afternoon. Nope. Nothing – Oh! There's Kurenai coming with the food!"

Tenten didn't even have time to register what was happening before the food was set up in gigantic heaps as usual. Hinata came through the door and smiled at Tenten. She was about to take her seat down at the end – leaving the middle seat open for You-Know-Who to sit in – until Tenten grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the middle seat.

"Hey!" she said brightly. "Wouldn't you just LOVE to sit next to me tonight?"

Hinata smiled although her features were still in the surprised state. "I –"

"Great!" Tenten cut in. "I'd LOVE your company too!"

Neji finally came down the stairs and Tenten instantly engaged a lengthy conversation about… tortoises with Hinata saying how really "gigantic ones" can live up to be a "whopping 200" years or more. And that every wrinkle on them shows how long they lived.

Well, at least she got one fact right.

So when Neji sat down he felt… left out? Granted, he knew a lot about tortoises himself, but he could tell _why_ Hinata was sitting there in the first place. He also took note of how Tenten hadn't even looked, glared, scoffed, stared, or spat at him during the entire day.

* * *

Dinner went relatively slowly with everybody sinking into the conversation except for one little Hyuuga stuck on the last end of the table. They sang "Happy Birthday" – Gai and Lee giving their own personal solos that Tenten actually laughed at in spite of their wrong pitches.

"That's our most beautiful present of all for you – the young budding rose of the family!" Lee cried. He flashed a bright smile and Gai went down and fished something to the side, finally holding up a… green suit made on his own.

"And here's my beautiful present oh youthful blossom!" he cried, shoving the suit into Tenten's hands. "Now we can all be a trio!"

Tenten forced a smile. "I _do_ like the color green," she managed, folding the suit up in a neat pile on the table.

Hiashi, however, also gave her a present. A crystal box with a jeweled pendant inside fastened by a thin, gold chain. Tenten's eyes boggled and the first thought that came to her mind was: _I can't wear that in public with these kinds of clothes I have now!_

"It's really pretty," she said in a state of shock. Did he buy that without a second thought? She paused to think. I wish I could do that…

"Oh, Tenten!" Kurenai cried. She handed her a gigantic painting over the table and the girl took it with shaky hands. "I was planning to sell it to the museum," she said. "I thought that this was a much more important thing, though."

Tenten smiled brightly feeling a bit guilty. "Eh… Not really that important," she said modestly. _Considering it's not even my BIRTHDAY…_

But a packet of clothes still fresh in its packet was tossed over to Tenten and she caught that in her hands too. Her eye twitched at the fanciness and her mouth was open at the silk material she could just imagine holding in her hands. She snapped her head up to Asuma – the person she knew tossed it over.

But he shrugged and gave a smile. "Happy birthday," he muttered. Kurenai gave him a bright smile and rubbed his hair out, causing him whack her hand off playfully.

Hinata even handed Tenten a fancy purse. "H-Happy birthday," she said. "I didn't know what kind of color you liked so…"

She shook her head. "No way!" she cried. "White is definitely a cool color." She paused and then quickly added, "But green's my favorite," while sending a bright smile to the duo in front of her.

"Neji…" Hiashi's voice came through the table – the tone of it seemed to suck the life out of everyone.

The man who was pretending not to notice lifted up his head. "Yes?" he asked. "What is it, Uncle?"

The man put on a fake smile. "Did you get Tenten a present?"

Shit.

Neji's brows furrowed and he began to panic. Tenten noticed this and she was tempted – so VERY tempted to just leave him there like a sitting duck to boil or roast. Augh. But she couldn't do that. She really couldn't do that.

"I…" he began. "I didn't have the –"

"Brother bought me to this wonderful family!" Tenten cried out brightly, reaching over to pat his shoulder. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here!"

There was a moment of silence until everybody erupted into laughter and clapping. "So very true!" Kurenai cried. And that was how the dinner past – with laughing, drinking, eating, and some talking every now and then.

Neji, meanwhile, sighed once more. How many times would he have to owe her?

* * *

After dinner, everybody went their separate ways… which left Tenten and Neji going up the stairs to go into their own rooms. Neji stopped her, though.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"Hum…" Tenten chuckled. "Wow." A pause and then, "Does that word taste funny to you?"

His eyes narrowed. "Not funny."

The girl nodded. "Whatever."

She brushed past him, but Neji, who was still standing there, said, "Sasuke's looking for you."

He twitched at the grin that was on her face. "He's over at the place you two were _last night_," he gritted through his teeth. He wondered where they had been too… but of course he wasn't going to ask right out. No. That wouldn't be polite.

Tenten nodded. "Alright. Bye then."

He grabbed her wrist and she looked at him, making him feel awkward. "… Where are you going?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes and tugged at her wrist. "To see Sasuke," she answered. "Duh."

Neji paused for a moment and then said, "Uncle wouldn't want anyone to go out after dinner."

Tenten scoffed. "Then why bother telling me about him?" She nodded to the window. "It's snowing outside," she told him. "It's been snowing outside for the entire day. He'll probably freeze if he waits for me for a long time." She blinked. That last sentence seemed…

He still didn't let go. "But you might freeze if you go outside anyway," he objected.

"Yeah?!" Tenten cried, taking her hand to pry his fingers off her wrist. "Well at least I don't make people wait and I actually **SHOW UP**!"

Neji let go in surprise and watched as she stomped down the stairs and out the door. He sighed and retreated into his own room.

* * *

Tenten took a bus to the balcony from before and sighed when she didn't see anybody there. She went to a nearby bench to sit down and wait when… something already happened to be sitting there already under the lamp light.

A snowman. Completed with a mini scarf and a nose and eyes.

"Aw," she cried. "It's so cute."

Sasuke came out and his mouth was in a content line. "Happy birthday," he said. He sat down next to the snowman and Tenten sat down on the other side, the small little snowman in the middle between them. She smiled.

"Wow," she said. "This is kinda cool." Moments later, she frowned. "I don't know how I'm going to keep it in the fridge, though," she said. "The freezer's full and –"

Sasuke shook his head. "It's not really your present," he said.

"It's not?" she asked, confused.

He turned to her and she was surprised at how serious he looked. He took her hand. Tenten's eyebrows furrowed. "Sasuke," she prompted, nervous about not seeing any joke going on here. "What are you doing?" She laughed nervously but it abruptly ended as he put her hand between his own.

"For your birthday…" he said, "… I give my heart to you."

* * *

**A/N. **Ah. What will she say? Hum. This is probably where the most drama will ensue afterwards.

I'm sorry for the long wait. Thanks to those who PMed me (you know who you are). Typos, editing, etc. drove me up the walls because I hate bad grammar. Finding it in my own story makes me gag. If you find any typos, it would help if you could say which chapter. I have already fixed 1-8 already.

Also, the last part is pretty awkward. I can't see Sasuke saying he likes someone. If I can think of a better way that puts him in character, I will change it.

**Thanks to those who read and reviewed. Or just read. :D **

Too many names to list. I'm a little busy. Sorry. D:


	21. peasant and prince

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

* * *

He turned to her and she was surprised at how serious he looked. He took her hand. Tenten's eyebrows furrowed. "Sasuke," she prompted, nervous about not seeing any joke going on here. "What are you doing?" She laughed nervously but it abruptly ended as he put her hand between his own.

"For your birthday…" he said, "… I give my heart to you."

Tenten's eyes grew wide from surprise and she tried to swallow down the lump that was in her throat. She didn't know what to say… or do. She considered him. He was a nice guy… A nice guy… Who was the person that had shown her the city afterwards? Who was the guy that got her a cup of coffee afterwards?

… So why did she snatch her hand back so quickly?

Tenten sat there momentarily, her hand – the hand that used to be between his, still dangling in the cold air. She noticed that the snowman was slightly disheveled… she must've bumped into it when she removed her hand from his.

There was a deep moment of awkward silence as Tenten, still shaky, stood up. "I… got to go," she muttered, making eye contact on the ground. "I'll see… you around." Even her own voice sounded foreign to her ears.

She walked away quickly until she couldn't see him anymore, and then broke into a run without waiting for the bus.

-

It was awhile until Tenten's run turned back into a walk again. She had made a mental decision not to go back to the Hyuuga household. It would've been awkward entering and seeing Neji again after all that had happened so far. Ino's apartment was a little closer too.

Why _hadn't_ she accepted?

She turned her face up to the sky, breathing in the air deeply. "Neji," she muttered, a little hotly. It always went back to him. She kept on walking and then shook her head. She wasn't concerned about that right now… but…

What was she going to tell Sasuke once she saw him again?

Tenten had never imagined a love confession from anyone. It was something that was put back into her mind, buried under the stress she had since she was young: making sure that debts were repaid, money was available, food was–

She put a brick wall in front of those thoughts to stop them before they ran amuck and sighed. There she goes again.

Turning her mind back to what had just happened recently; she realized that she had not answered his question fully. What she had said… how did he take it? Did he take it as a rejection, or a time to "think it over"?

Tenten shook her head. "Oh what the hell," she muttered to herself.

She didn't even know how to take her own answer.

* * *

Tenten approached the door of Ino's apartment, knowing it was the only place she was able to stay at for the night without having any awkward situations about what had happened. Ino, Shikamaru, or Naruto didn't know about Uchiha Sasuke and her… extremely _strange_ situation with Neji.

She refused to use "feelings" instead. She hated him right now. She didn't know why, but she did. Part of her thought that if she kept her idea of him to that, things won't get complicated. How they would get complicated, she had no idea.

The door opened with a sleepy Ino on the other side.

"Tenten… 'S that you?" She squinted at the figure. "Tenten?" she repeated. She blinked once and her eyes widened. "Tenten… What the hell are you doing here?"

She tried not to look too troubled, so she put on a grin. "I just wanted to stay over for the night," she said happily, trying to shove her recent thoughts to the back of her mind.

Ino arched an eyebrow, her eyes still sleepy. "At three?" she muttered.

"I uh…" Tenten made a face. It was that late? "I uh… is it ok?" she asked, unsure how to respond to that statement.

"Huh?" Ino mumbled, dazed. And then, "Oh yeah. Ok, ok." She nodded her head rapidly, opening the door wider for Tenten to squeeze through.

As the girl entered the apartment, Ino closed the door shut. "You don't look so hot," she said to her. "Something happen?"

"No!" Tenten blurted loudly. She covered her mouth automatically after hearing her voice echo throughout the dark hallway. In a quiet voice she confirmed again, "Nothing. Nothing happened."

"… Right. So, uh… you want something to eat?"

Tenten shook her head. "Not really."

"… To drink?"

"Not really."

"… To _drink_?"

Tenten caught the persistence in Ino's voice and gave a weak smile to her who gave a sleepy one in return. It was an invitation to talk to her at one in the morning when everyone else was asleep. Tenten had wanted to leave everything the way it was for now. Them not knowing anything, Sasuke left without a real answer, and Neji left there to….

But now she thought that it would be nice. It would be nice for her to release something. To break that brick wall in her thoughts.

"… Tea?"

Ino smiled. "What kind?"

"Anything strong."

"Right… Want something to eat?"

"… Something fried and smothered in chocolate."

A chuckle. "Not good for your figure. How about an apple?"

She arched an eyebrow. "Apple and… tea?"

A shrug.

"It's healthy."

-

Ino set the teapot down once both of their cups were filled near the brim. She pushed the plate of apples in between her and Tenten. The light in the kitchen was the only light that was on, but Ino dimmed it a little so that nobody would wake up from the brightness.

Part of her was still sleepy, but she shoved her seat forward, understanding that there were some things that were more important than getting her beauty sleep, protecting her face complexion, etc. Once they settled down, however, things got awkward from there.

"So… How's Neji? How's your job?"

Tenten stiffened at the sound of Neji's name. "It's…" she began, but stopped soon after. "I don't know," she admitted. "Sometimes it's nice," she stated slowly, remembering how he had offered to take her to the 63rd Building, "and other times…" Her eyes narrowed. "He can be such a jerk."

Ino shifted her gaze to Tenten, studying her, but deciding not to point out how she had used the word "it" in her first statement, and then "he" in her second. She shook her head. "So?" she prompted.

Tenten's head snapped up. "… What?"

The girl in front of her leaned on the table, putting her head in one of her hands. "Are you going to quit?"

Her eyes widened and she looked away from her friend. "What do you mean?" she countered.

"Don't pretend," Ino said. She heard a sharp intake of breath coming from Tenten and she pursued the topic. "You've been out of it ever since you accepted that job from him. You've been depressed since Haruno Sakura came back to Korea," she accused. "I – I mean, _we_ can tell what it's doing to you."

Tenten took another sip of her tea, avoiding eye contact with Ino. Mixed feelings threatened to burst out of her, but she kept her composure. "The money's important to get," she defended. She sighed, her eyes scrutinizing at the tea leaves floating at the bottom. "It… It just turned out harder than I thought it would."

Ino shook her head, a smile on her face. "You like him, though."

Tenten's heart skipped a beat. "I don't like him," she said, feeling her face heat up.

"The media talks, you know," Ino told her. "Rumors about Haruno Sakura hooking up with someone due to her rare visits to the tennis court to practice. I wonder who she –"

"It's nothing," Tenten said firmly, making a clear mark to where the subject ended. "I'll continue to work for him… Iruka, Kakashi… They need the money… And so do I."

Ino opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it instead after thinking about it. "… Right," she said slowly, getting up from her seat. "Maybe you should get some sleep… I mean… I guess you have a lot to think about right now."

Tenten nodded and put her dishes in the sink to be washed tomorrow morning. "Yeah," she agreed. "I guess you're right." She watched the last of her tea flow down into the drain and then began to make her way over to the stairs.

"Tenten."

She turned back to Ino who was still at the kitchen counter. "What is it?" she asked. She rubbed her eyelids, a bit surprised at how tired she was feeling.

Ino's eyes flickered a bit before continuing. "You're doing the job for Iruka and Kakashi… They're counting on you… you know that, right?"

Tenten nodded her head. "I know that," she said. "Why else would I be doing this ridiculous job?"

The blonde ignored her last comment and continued. "If it's killing you, just stop. Iruka and Kakashi wouldn't want you to push yourself. They think that… And the others think that too."

Tenten couldn't help but chuckle. "You're saying that like it'll be the death of me or something." She took a deep breath. "Relax. I know what I'm doing. I don't know if I'll find another job that'll pay as well as this one. So… I'm going to stick with it until the debt is repaid and we have enough to survive on our own." She forced a small smile. "I know my limits. If I know I'm pushing them, I won't continue."

Ino nodded her head slowly. "You better know when you're pushing them –"

"I'm fine, ok?" She sighed. "I'm kinda tired right now… You get that, right?"

The girl across from her nodded her head again and Tenten went up the stairs quietly.

Once there, she set up her bed again and jumped down on it, not bothering to take a hot shower or anything. She decided to put it off until the morning just like the rest of her thoughts and go to sleep. But as she was on the brink of slumber, she remembered Sasuke's question and her answer to that question and realized that she did not give him a complete answer.

And then she realized that tomorrow was the party for Sakura and that he was to escort her there.

-

Tenten woke up, thinking that it was still early in the morning. But as she went down the steps, she realized that two people were up, using the kitchen to make two cups of morning coffee. Knowing who they were immediately, she grabbed her coat that was lying on the couch and made her way toward the door.

"Tenten?" Kakashi popped out of nowhere behind the fridge door.

"_Tenten?_" Iruka sputtered, nearly dropping the coffee mix. "What – She _never_ wakes up this late!"

"I'm off to do my job," Tenten informed them, putting on her coat. "When Ino wakes up, just tell her that and she'll know."

"Your _job_?" Kakashi repeated. "What kind of _job_ makes their employees wake up at –"

"There are some jobs that make people wake up at one in the morning, you know," she told him. "The faster I earn the money, the quicker we can get out of this debt-repay hellhole." And on that happy note she charged out of the apartment leaving guilty faces on the two men.

And as she charged outside, she nearly went back inside to go to sleep again or something until it really WAS morning because it was actually four in the afternoon.

Well, she _did_ go to sleep around three in the morning.

* * *

As the Hyuuga compound came into view, Tenten stopped in her tracks and checked her watch. Five twenty-five. "That's good," she said to herself, working hard to put on her best smile. Neji would… Well, he SHOULD be at work right now. She rubbed her hands together to keep warm. Boy was it chilly today. "Act like the world's a fair place," she instructed herself.

She was dumbfounded at once, however, when she opened the door because two people had been waiting at the edge for her and tackled her once she walked through the door. She was STILL dumbfounded as Kurenai handed her a dress with a pair of shoes and Asuma handed her some make-up and Hiashi was watching from the sidelines with a smile on his face.

But when she was shoved into her room to "make herself all nice and pretty," her eye caught the small invitation that was given to her from Sakura. And then she realized that the party was at nine and she was no where near to ready.

Tenten snapped to realization at once and grabbed the dark green dress that Kurenai had given her. It was a simple one with no straps that her clumsy arms had to fit through and a zipper that was on the back for easy wear. Even so, she went through hell putting it on since… Well, she never really wore a skirt before – a dress even less likely.

She cringed at the extra fabric that became pools around her feet. She began to fret. "Is it supposed to _**BE**_ like that?" she squeaked to herself. Honestly, she couldn't believe dresses like this existed. _I mean_, she thought to herself, _why __waste__ all of that extra fabric?_

She tried walking around (more like scooting around) on her bare feet and nearly crashed into the small table near the TV. "For Pete's sake!" she sputtered, rubbing her sore shin. That was definitely going to leave a bruise. "How the hell am I supposed to manage this in… heels?" she wondered angrily as her eyes drifted to the pair of shoes of the same color that lay on the floor.

Tenten crawled over to them (not trusting the way her legs operated in the dress) and picked them up. She stared at them for awhile and then sighed. She then proceeded to put them on, and by doing so, entered through chaos trying to figure out how the buckles worked. Then, taking a deep breath, she stood up and bent backwards into the wall.

Quickly she steadied herself. "Grace, Tenten," she told herself, taking slow steps at a time. "Think _womanly_, think… think _girly_!"

And as she began to walk back and forth across the room, slow at the beginning, but faster at the end, the grin on her face grew wider and she truly felt that she was a woman.

-

"Do I need jewelry?" she asked herself. She pondered this for a moment, having the time of her life after conquering her "walk in a dress with heels on" problem. Tenten shook her head. Jewelry wasn't really her thing. After all, she skipped the make-up part, didn't she?

And then a knock came at her door.

"Tenten?" It was Kurenai. "Are you done yet?"

She gulped. Was she done? Sure she had mastered the art of balance and perpetual motion (at least in her mind), but was she ready for the big battle yet? Was she ready to enter that party with total control – confident that she wouldn't ram into a stone statue at the beginning or do a face-plant in the celebration cake?

Another knock. "Tenten?"

"I… I, uh… I got my dress on?" Tenten said, not knowing what else to say.

"WHAT?!" Kurenai's voice was full of sheer surprise. "THAT'S ALL YOU DID –"

"And the shoes, too!" Tenten quickly added after hearing the woman's voice. "The dress AND the shoes!"

"It's been an hour and you only put on your dress?!" Her voice was near to screeching.

"_**AND**_ the shoes!" Tenten hastened to add, emphasizing on the word "and."

The door banged open. "What about your make-up?!" Kurenai cried, taking Tenten's head between her two hands and squishing it. "You look too pale! At least put on some blush! **(15)**"

"What?!" Tenten cried, forcing Kurenai's hands off her face. "I don't need that stuff!"

"Yes you do!" the other woman protested. "I mean –"

She was cut off by a loud voice crying out, "NEJI!" Kurenai immediately went out of the room. "Neji's here already!" she exclaimed. She turned to Tenten. "Forget the make-up! Just get down there!" She rushed down leaving Tenten surprised in the doorway, her eyes wide.

To be honest, she didn't expect Neji to be home so soon. That is, until she looked at the clock on the wall and realized that it was six thirty.

* * *

Neji stepped into the household and instantly became utterly surprised at the big group standing at the foot of the stairs. He was back early expecting to bring Tenten to the party himself and then going with Sakura for the rest of the time. He was also instantly shoved forward by Lee in the back as the young boy was totally psyched about what was happening…

Neji did not know what was going on.

"Neji!" Lee cried happily. "Wonderful timing! You'll be able to witness our young bud blossom into the feminine flower in the fresh spring!"

The Hyuuga decided not to point out that it was practically winter already.

He watched as Lee bounded over to his spitting image and arched an eyebrow at Lee and Gai who were conversing together, exchanging words that Neji had wisely decided not to care about. There were loud bangs coming from the stairs and Neji caught a flower pot that was about to hit the floor and shatter into pieces.

Kurenai jumped into the scene and shoed the people away from the stairs. "She's coming down!" she cried.

"What's going on here?" he muttered, an eyebrow arched. His suspicions were wiped out however, as Tenten appeared from the top of the stairs. She began to walk down and then stopped at the foot of the stairs, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Neji's eyes widened. Was that really Tenten? Tenten in a… _dress_?!

This was some kind of joke, wasn't it?

The others went up to her and she laughed and joked with them. Hiashi wheeled himself over to his nephew's side. "What do you think, Neji?" he said loudly, his voice surprisingly (there's a pattern here) nice to him. "Doesn't she look nice?"

Oh… Now he got it. He was the crazy one. _He_ was the loony bird?

"We bought that dress from Europe, you know." Hiashi began to ramble. "And the shoes from Peru. Good thing they're the same color…"

Neji tuned him out; as he thought about his uncle's question and decided that he was blind. No, not blind, just heavily lacking of intelligence. Even blind people would be able to see the radiance that came from her. It wasn't the dress or the shoes or the simple necklace that was around her neck that made her that way either. No, it was how happy she looked, her eyes shining with joy and the grin on her face the biggest he had ever seen.

He couldn't help but notice the way her eyes were making contact with everything but him, however.

"… and Sasuke will be escorting her over to the party…"

Neji's vision suddenly shattered and before he could stop himself…

"She's ugly."

All noise immediately went away as if someone had pushed the "Mute" button on the remote control of the TV.

"Green doesn't suit her," Neji went on, noticing how Tenten was pissed, but not noticing how his uncle was even more pissed. "And –"

"I think I look perfectly normal!" Tenten declared. "And don't even start analyzing how green doesn't go with brown and all that –"

_Ding._

The doorbell cut Tenten off. Asuma opened the door and Sasuke stepped in. He sensed the tension in the room, but noticing Tenten, he walked over to her, holding out his hand. "Are you ready?" he asked her. Neji watched silently, although he wondered if this was all a big mistake and he was the one who was supposed to take her there.

Tenten stood there awkwardly, the recent events rushing to her head. "Y-Yeah," she managed, taking his hand. "Let's go."

Hiashi, who returned to his bitter state, gritted out, "Don't forget your coat."

She nodded, and quickly picked it up, acknowledging the "KILLKILLKILLL!" vibes radiating from him. Then she turned to Sasuke and they both went out of the house together, heading for the party.

Once the two of them left, Hiashi turned to Neji, completely stone-faced.

"Everybody out except Neji."

The darkness in his voice was especially noticeable, so everybody moved out of the room and went into their own little private corners of the house. For Asuma and Kurenai, it was hitting the soap operas (except with the volume on low). For Lee and Gai it was as far away from Hiashi as possible.

* * *

The drive to the party was quiet. Not the comforting silence either. The really, really, really awkward kind – like the kind when you'd rather be far away in an island full of cannibals and raging storms and hot weather and…

Ok, maybe not that extreme.

But the silence between Tenten and Sasuke was definitely not comforting. Then again, it wasn't totally like the silence when you'd rather be far away in an island full of cannibals and raging storms and hot weather and…

You get it.

It was the kind of silence when either of them didn't know what to say. Tenten took a peek at Sasuke next to her and then quickly looked away at the road.

"Sasuke…" she began. "About… yesterday…"

"Forget it," he said.

Her eyes grew downcast. "Still… I mean…" She took a deep breath. "It was sweet. Really sweet."

This time Sasuke sighed. "Let's pretend it never happened," he told her.

Tenten shifted a little, sinking into the seat. More silence. And then…

"Yeah…" she muttered in agreement. "Yeah. Ok. I guess we can do that."

_Is that it?_ she thought. If _we just say to forget about it… I mean, I can do that… But what about…_ She looked over to Sasuke who was concentrated on the road and frowned. She could never really tell what he was thinking behind that face of his. Neji seemed to be a lot easier, but she couldn't help but still feel guilty about rejecting his offer.

_Just take Sasuke's advice and pretend that nothing happened_, Tenten thought to herself. _I mean, if that's the way he wants it, then I can't really do anything else but follow… right?_

-

"When I asked, 'Doesn't she look nice?' what did you answer?"

Neji did his best not to completely tune out Hiashi's lecture to him since he knew that the man in front of him would be beyond the level of anger he was in right now. The room had emptied out quickly, leaving the two of them there for their own privacy. Things always seemed tense when they were both alone together – one on one.

"I said that she was ugly," Neji answered truthfully. What else could he do? There were witnesses littering the house who had seen the short, ugly exchange of words between him and Tenten. He sighed. Could their feud be any more public? He was practically positive that he would receive dirty looks throughout the household now.

"And what were you _supposed_ to say?" continued Hiashi, voice still as icy as ever.

Neji reeled. What _was_ he supposed to say?

"That she's…" His voice trailed off. _Beautiful_.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed at the way his nephew stopped in mid-sentence. "That she's…" he prompted. He huffed when he received no answer and shouted, "THAT SHE'S…?!"

"Beautiful," Neji muttered.

Hiashi folded his arms across his chest and arched both of his eyebrows. He was clearly not fully satisfied with Neji's answer, apparently, when it was a perfectly decent one. However, Hiashi, being the tough beans that he is, wondered where Neji pulled that answer out of his eyes.

"Say it in a complete sentence," he instructed.

"She's beautiful," Neji said, trying his best not to roll his eyes.

Hiashi nodded. "Let's try this again, shall we?" he said, clearing his voice. "Doesn't she look nice?" he asked Neji, replaying the words he had said to him when Tenten had come down the stairs. Neji chose not to mention how his voice was not as happy as it was when he had first asked that question. Instead, he answered truthfully.

"She's beautiful," he said.

"Good," Hiashi declared. "Now go and get dressed for the party."

* * *

Tenten was astonished at how fancy the hotel building was. The Hyuuga hotel was nothing compared to this. This hotel was more than five stars. It was like… The girl frowned at that thought. What was it like? She shook her head, temporarily abandoning it and followed Sasuke as the two of them walked through the large hallway to the marble staircase. They both descended it to the top where the party was to be hosted.

"Tenten, Sasuke!" A voice greeted them and Sakura came into view. "Glad you guys came. The press will probably come later on, but don't worry. You guys won't be included in any shots… Unless you want to." She turned to Tenten. "Have you ever been around celebrities before?" she asked her. "If you haven't, I can introduce you to a few."

Tenten just smiled and as she walked, she thought of her lessons in her room and was happy to find that she practically glided across the floor.

-

And…

The party was a drag. At least to Tenten, anyways.

All super, duper rich people. Celebrities, fashion designers, music artists, movie actors! The list went on and on. Sakura did say that she would introduce her to a few, but Tenten decided to refuse the offer. I mean, a rich person being involved with one of her status? As the preps at her old school would say (when she still attended school), "Puh_leez_!"

And even if she was introduced, what would she say to them anyways? "What's your favorite kind of cheese?" Oh _great_ conversation starter right there.

And that last sentence was sarcasm.

Sasuke was known pretty well and was already greeted by old friends, acquaintances, and etcetera. Tenten tried to stick around for the first part of their conversation, but decided to leave shortly anyways because… Well, she just felt so out of place. Especially out here.

Not only that, but her feet were getting sore by her shoes. Even so, she did her best not to stumble and fall in order not to create a scene.

And so, Tenten was left hovering near the snack bar, eating all of the strawberry-puff pastries without even realizing it and reducing the brownie plate to crumbs. In fact, she had stolen the last mini hot dog snack from a blonde supermodel (that was pissed afterwards), but she didn't realize that either. The only one who DID notice was Sasuke from the corner of his eye, who couldn't hold back a smirk.

-

Seconds turned to minutes…

"Are you feeling alright?"

Tenten looked up at Sasuke who was staring at her. She was seated on one of the velvet couches and she had practically been there ever since the both of them arrived at the party. She shrugged at the question and thought for a moment. She looked at her hands that were settled in her lap.

"I dunno…" she began. "I just… Don't feel right here." _I feel like an outsider. _She looked at Sasuke. "I think I'm just going to take a rest for awhile," she said.

His brow furrowed. "Do you want me to drive you back to the Hyuugas?" he asked.

Tenten shook her head. "No thanks… I think I'm just going to go somewhere else… You know, where there's less noise and everything."

He nodded his head and she stood up, making her way over to the staircase. She climbed down until she was near the end of the stairs. She collapsed on the third-to-last step and began to massage her feet that ached from her shoes.

"Stupid heels," she muttered to herself. Her thoughts went to Neji. Had he said she was ugly because he knew that she wasn't used to heels? That maybe her feet would get sore and…

"Stop thinking about him, Tenten!" she hissed to herself, her anger heating her up again. It soon died down however, wondering if her recent thoughts were the truth. But she abandoned those thoughts too and looked up at the chandelier that hung from the ceiling, its lights dancing off the walls.

_Maybe if I pretended I was a princess…_ she thought, _… I can fall in love like one_.

* * *

Neji entered the hotel, but, unlike Tenten, did not seem to notice the fancy decorations. He checked himself in the mirror to make sure that he was presentable to Sakura, and then made his way to the end of the hall where the staircase, that would take him to the second floor, was. He checked his watch. A little past eight, but that was ok. He saw a figure at the stairs and he squinted to get a better look.

And he _was_ surprised to find Tenten slumped against the wall on the steps, massaging her feet, the pair of shoes she was wearing before held up in her hands as if they were a flag for surrender.

Judging by the events that had happened just today, Neji was still under the impression that she hated him. He sighed, realizing that he still hadn't apologized to her directly. Knowing that the two of them were alone down there, he walked over to her…

Maybe now's the perfect time.

-

"What are you doing down here?"

Tenten's head snapped up, immediately recognizing the sound of his voice. She was too tired to keep up that wall anger that she had with him and looked away instead. "Nothing," she replied. "I was just…" She trailed off. _You were just what? _she thought to herself. She bit the bottom of her lip and chewed it for a moment. "I was just thinking," she stated.

Neji snorted. "About what?"

No answer. He sat down.

Silence. And then…

"I think I'm going to leave," she said, turning to him.

"Why?"

She sighed. "I don't think I belong here," she confessed. "Too many rich people… Too many famous people. I can't talk to any of them without wondering if I'm perfect or –"

"You're talking to me right now," he answered. "Are you saying I'm poor?"

She scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself," she muttered. A pause. "Do you think Sakura would mind?"

He shrugged. "It would be better if you told her yourself," he remarked.

"Hmm…" She turned her face to the ceiling again. "I guess you're right."

And it was as if time had turned back and he was still the arrogant man, but she became the dense girl that he had met at the beginning. The girl that always asked stupid questions, who disappeared when he had accidentally left her at the 63rd Building.

And as that memory came into his mind, Neji said what he had been putting off for days.

"Sorry," he muttered. Saying those words lifted an enormous burden off his back. He expected Tenten to say something witty back such as, "What was that?" or "Did you say something?" Something along those lines anyways. But she didn't.

"It's…" She paused. "It's ok," she said.

They sat there for a moment longer, the two of them saying nothing. And the silence between them wasn't the really, really, really awkward kind – like the kind when you'd rather be far away in an island full of cannibals and raging storms –

Alright. I'll stop doing that.

The silence between them was one of silent agreement. And both felt comfortable in its presence, although it had been there ever since Neji had begun talking to Tenten and she began talking to him back. But the two of them sat there, making it last longer.

At last, Neji stood up. He extended his hand.

"Let's go," he said. "Weren't you planning on telling Sakura that you were leaving?"

"Nah." She grinned. "I think I might've planned on staying," she replied.

Neji rolled his eyes and she laughed, taking his hand. And for a moment, she completely forgotten that he was with another person he loved and that her love for him could never be complete. For a moment, she saw herself as a princess… No, a peasant and Neji as her prince charming who had come to rescue her when she needed it the most.

But that dream soon shattered as Sakura smiled a bright smile and Neji let go of her hand to hug Sakura. Tenten watched from the sidelines and smiled a sad smile. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sasuke come up to her.

"Where were you?" he asked. "I thought you were leaving."

She shrugged and looked at Neji and Sakura who, arm in arm, were near the refreshments table getting some punch for themselves. "I feel like staying all of a sudden," she said. Sasuke followed her eyes and his narrowed once they made contact with the pair.

"Attention, couples!" The music from the party stopped and then replaced with a lovey-dovey song. "Now is time for the Lover's Moment!"

Tenten had never heard of such a thing, but she saw how the pairs around her kissed one another on the lips. And all logicalness slipped from Tenten's mind as she saw Neji and Sakura stop what they were doing and look each other in the eye. And slowly, they leaned toward each other for a quick... a quick…

Oh dear Lord.

The couples moved to the dance floor, Tenten not realizing that she was standing in the middle of it. A couple bumped into her clumsily and she felt herself falling, falling to the floor. She closed her eyes, expecting to hit it in a matter of seconds, only to be saved by Sasuke who caught her back, leaving her hanging in mid-air.

"The person you like," he said, "is Hyuuga Neji."

* * *

**(15)** I don't know a thing about make-up.

* * *

**A/N.** Really sorry for the long wait. Summer vacation and relative visits, you know. I plan on writing a lot faster now that the mostly hard part is done. XD The beginning was super hard to write for me.

I think I'm looking for **beta testers** for my new NejiTen story that I hope to release soon. XD If you're really good with grammar and all that jazz, I'd appreciate the extra help. 1-2 will do.

**Thank you to those who read and reviewed. Or just read. That's ok too. XD  
****Thank you for 300+ reviews.  
**Also, thank you for the PMs that I received. All of your comments really helped me mooch along. :D Special thanks to runjumpfly07 who PMed me about Ch. 20 and also this chapter as well. :)


	22. quitting

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, etc.

**Summary:** Tenten is indebt and a really good liar. Neji's family is rich and in need of a temporary niece. What happens when these two meet? ( Nejiten & minor others )

**Brief:** Hello, once again. I'm sorry that I haven't updated in awhile. If you're having trouble remembering what happened, feel free to go through the chapters again. Sorry for this. 

* * *

Oh dear Lord.

The couples moved to the dance floor, Tenten not realizing that she was standing in the middle of it. A couple bumped into her clumsily and she felt herself falling, falling to the floor. She closed her eyes, expecting to hit it in a matter of seconds, only to be saved by Sasuke who caught her back, leaving her hanging in mid-air.

"The person you like," he said, "is Hyuuga Neji."

One hand of Tenten's was latched onto Sasuke's back for support. She felt like she was going to fall into an endless abyss from a very, very high height.

From her position, Tenten felt like Sir Impossible slapped her in the face. And then Lady Realization came along and beat Sir Impossible up. She felt her throat clog up. _Like_? Like, _like_ like? Did he really say that? Ridiculous! She didn't like him... It was more powerful than that… More like…

Her eyes widened.

Did she love him?

"I…" she began, but her hand slipped off his shoulder and she fell onto the floor. Through the music and the chattering people, though, it went unheard. Tenten was too dazed to get up, her hands on both sides of her. She felt like she had fallen back into reality, her 5-minute fairytale coming to a close on her. She looked at Neji and Sakura and felt her heart sink. Had she really forgotten so easily?

Neji was no prince charming.

No, he _was_ a prince charming.

He just wasn't... her prince charming.

He wasn't in love with her; he was in love with Sakura.

The only thing that remained true from the recent exchange of fairytale and reality was that Tenten was still a peasant.

A hand extended out to her and she looked up, hurt clearly evident in her eyes. It was Sasuke.

The girl got up on her own however, brushing his hand away. She didn't want any help… She didn't want to be around all these people. With that thought, she took of running to the stairs, shoving past people and bruising her hip on the refreshment table that shifted dramatically from their collision…

… This naturally sparked unwanted attention.

Heads turned and Tenten found herself catching Neji's eye from far away. She quickly faced forward and began to clatter down the stairs, her shoes making loud noises against the marble. She refused to look back. She just needed to get out of there.

"Tenten!" Was that Neji's voice? _No…_ she thought. _He wouldn't…_

She hopped the last two steps. She just needed to get away.

She kept on running to the hotel's main entrance doors and shoved them open with such force that she was sure she had blown them off the hinges. She just wanted to keep on running.

And she would've kept on running… but she didn't.

-

Tenten's eyes grew wide. Pure white… The sky… It was…

_Snow._

A pure word. One syllable long. It entered her mind with equal grace, and she stood there.

She didn't feel the chill of the wind on her bare arms. No, the girl felt her heart warm up and she walked out into the open, not minding how the snow seeped into her heels, sending chills to her feet. No, she was completely numb at this moment.

It was just her, the snow, and nothing.

She felt herself being dunked in a pure river and then felt herself being pulled out, clean as a slate.

There was a crunch of snow from behind her and she felt a presence. It could've been Neji… Sasuke, anyone, really. She shouldn't say anything. Not now… But she needed to say something, you see. She needed to say something and hear something back to make sure she wasn't in her own little world.

"Snow," she said.

"I know." _Neji…_ she thought, her heart skipping a beat. _Definitely Neji_.

The wind whistled softly as silence settled between them.

"I never knew when my birthday was," she whispered. She felt him walk next to her on her left.

"Hn."

"But I remember what it was like," she continued. A pause… and then a sigh. She saw her breath come out in a wispy cloud. "There was snow… Lots of snow… It was…" She looked up to the sky this time, feeling the snowflakes dot her eyelashes. "It was snowing."

There was a shift of feet and she knew he was looking at the sky as well.

"I'll remember that."

Tenten felt herself smile.

She also felt that she had fallen back into the fairytale again.

-

"Neji!"

But her fairytale, she knows, shatters just as easily.

Just as easily, the cold snakes up to her and before she knows it, she is shivering. She looks to the left of her and wondered if it was a dream that she had felt him standing next to her, but she looked down and saw the two footprint marks that were left from his shoes. She turned to the entrance and saw him with Sakura.

Reality… This was it.

Tenten watched Sasuke come out too, her coat in his hands. She watched as he walked over to her, ignoring the other two that were there, and handed it to her.

"You went out without it," he said. "It's cold out here."

She merely nodded, taking the clothing from him and fitting it around her shoulders. She shoved her hands in her pockets, feeling the warmth go into her again. But… The cold… It was still there.

Neji walked over, concern on his face. Most people couldn't tell, but Tenten had learned to read his expressions by now. He put a hand on her forehead, as if he was expecting her to be seriously sick. A temperature.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked.

Tenten turned away from his eyes and felt her cheeks heat up. "I'm…" Her eyes met Sasuke's who was staring at her intensely and felt her stomach churn with guilt. She turned her gaze again and looked at the floor instead. She pushed Neji's hand away. "I'm fine," she said aloud. "Nothing's wrong… I just…" She licked her lips. "I just have a stomach ache," she finished.

He stared at her. "Right," he muttered. "I'll take you home."

Sakura chewed the bottom of her lip. "But you just got here," she said. "I mean…" She sighed. "If you're not here then the party will be all…" Her eyes shifted from the doors to him, searching for the right word. "… boring…"

Neji's eyes became different, remembering why he was here in the first place. "I'll come back," he told her, trying to mend the situation. "Tenten's not feeling well. I'll take her back and Kurenai will take everything from there. Besides, what –"

"I'll take her."

Sasuke stepped out from the hallway toward Tenten. "I don't have any reason to be here." He looked at her. "Come on," he said. "Let's go." He nodded over to the parking lot, the cars covered with a thick blanket of snow. "We have to go fast if you want to make it home."

"Uncle will be unhappy if I don't take responsibility of her," Neji stated. "It will be better if –"

"Sasuke said that he'll take care of it, Neji," Sakura said, walking up to him. "I'm sure that you can trust him."

He shook his head. "I'll be back later," he repeated. He walked near Tenten who was still frozen, looking at the ground with her hands in her pockets. "Go to the car."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I'm capable of bringing her back to the house. Besides…" He glanced at Tenten before turning his focus back on Neji. "Hiashi let me take her out. If he sees that I haven't brought her back, he will have a lack of trust in me."

Sakura frowned. "But I…" she began. "I… Why can't you stay?" she asked instead. "Sasuke can take Tenten home… I mean… He knows where you live and… and everything…"

At last Tenten looked up. "Sasuke can take me home," she said quietly. She crossed her fingers in her pocket. "I don't mind. I mean…" She sighed, sending stray hair upwards. "Sakura invited Neji here… So… I guess it's only fair if he stayed… here." She forced a smile, the pain that was non-existent at first becoming a reality. "If we keep arguing like this… Nothing's going to happen… you know?"

She watched as Sakura let a smile of relief grace her features. "Thank you," she said. She turned to Neji. "See? Tenten agrees too…" She frowned, realizing that she had spoken too quickly. "Right, Tenten?" she asked, looking back at her.

The girl just nodded, keeping her mouth in a content line. "Yes…" she said. "Fine… Fine, fine fine…" She repeated the word more than once to emphasize her decision. She was perfectly fine with it… Yes. Fine. Fine, fine, fine. Her insides were twisting inside, yet she managed to keep her composure in a comfortable stance.

However, Tenten stiffened as Sasuke put a hand on her shoulder to direct her to his car. "Have fun then," he muttered in a noncommittal way. He looked at the girl next to him. "Let's go," he stated. "You look terrible." She managed to nod.

The two of them silently made their way over to the car that was parked nearby and climbed in.

-

Neji looked as if he wanted to say something more, but Sakura tugged on his arm gently. "Let's go back in," she told him. "It's cold outside."

* * *

Tenten kept her eyes on the view outside of the window, aware of the presence of the man next to her. She only took a breath of air when she needed to and she knew she wasn't the only one who noticed the large gap between the both of them.

"You must be really sick."

Tenten looked at Sasuke next to her, who had taken a quick glance, but then turn his attention back on to the road in front of them. She was surprised that he had spoken a word… as she had thought none of them had felt like speaking about what had happened today. She fiddled with the napkin in her hands, strangely immersing herself in the logo it had pressed onto it.

"Too sick to say anything."

The girl crumpled up the napkin in her hands.

"I guess."

Sasuke looked at her again, but then turned his attention back to the road. Tenten silently suspected he was just as appalled as she was that there were actually words floating around in the still and depressing atmosphere around them.

Yet words don't always form out as a precise conversation between two people.

The two of them were perfectly aware of the situation at hand. Tenten was perfectly content to dodge it and steel herself for anything that came her way. And she would've if Sasuke hadn't thrown up one statement that had, quite possibly, been burrowed in her mind:

"You should quit."

Tenten blinked and she turned herself around to face him.

"I'm sorry?"

Without a beat in between, without a glance, he replied, "Quit your job."

She felt like she wasn't able to breath. She laughed slightly, and she felt her hands shake. "W-What job?" she asked with a forced smile. "I don't have a job, you know… I just –"

"Stop it." Tenten's smile faded. "I know that you're not related to Neji at all."

The girl fixed her attention back at the window, not saying a word. How did he know? How could he possibly know? She bit her lip so hard that she tasted a faint metallic taste on her tongue. It hit her that he could reveal this whole plot to the family… and then they would… they would…

"Don't tell."

"Don't tell," she repeated gravely. "Please… Don't tell."

Silence.

Tenten could hear the beating of her heart drum in her ears. Today was… It was just… She clenched her hands together, but her eyes widened in surprise when she found that the napkin she had just been holding were torn into shreds. She was baffled that she had been making such involuntary moves as such. Her eyes shut in pain. _What is wrong with me?_

None of them had spoken much after Sasuke had revealed his inner knowledge about the plot Tenten and Neji had managed to cook up. It wasn't until they had arrived at the Hyuuga household once more that he looked at her.

"You're going to get hurt."

The napkin scraps that were in her hand had now been rolled into tiny balls. His sentence hit her hard and Tenten clasped her hands together, feeling the papery texture beneath her palms.

"… I know," she said, her voice shaky. She felt tears come down in silent streams and she scolded herself. She hadn't cried ever since Mom had died.

She hadn't. She won't.

_I won't cry over something like this…_

She felt his eyes on her again and she quickly wiped her tears away. "Thank you… for bringing me back," she said. She opened the door on her side and went out into the chilly air. Holding herself tightly for warmth, she began to quickly make her way to the door of the house.

"Tenten!"

The girl turned around silently. Sasuke stood next to his car, his door open. His expression had a steely background to it.

"Think about my suggestion," he said.

Tenten thought for a moment before nodding. "I will," she said.

Sasuke nodded his head. "I won't tell anyone."

Again the girl was silent before meeting his eyes. "Thank you," she replied truthfully. "Thank you." Slowly she turned and made her way inside of the Hyuuga household.

* * *

"You're back early," Kurenai stated, surprised at the presence of the young woman at the entrance. She had only happened to just walk by, and so she was caught off guard. "What happened?" she inquired. Slowly, the woman noticed the paleness that marked her face. "Is everything all right?"

Equally baffled, Tenten's hands came apart and the remains of the napkin fell onto the floor.

"You don't look so good," Kurenai muttered as she walked closer to her, putting a hand to her forehead. "Do you have a fever or something –"

Her hand was quickly slapped away and the older woman had stepped back in surprise. Tenten, still jittery over the feelings she was experiencing blinked hard before making her eyes connect with Kurenai's – hoping that no tears still clung to her eyelashes. "I – I'm fine," she insisted. "Really…"

Kurenai, who was preparing to say something sarcastic, swallowed up her words as a look of concern came across her features. "… I see…" The mood around her suddenly came down and she tried to make a joke out of things. "I'll get the broom to mop up the confetti you made on the floor then," she remarked, ending it with a small chuckle.

"Ah… Ha…" The girl tried her best to laugh at the joke, understanding the need to turn things back into a jovial setting. However, the laugh would not come and it became stuck in her throat. The voice locked inside became thick and she threatened to burst into tears once more.

_No!_

"I… I'm tired," she said hastily. "I'll be getting… a rest now," she finished awkwardly, dashing up the stairs before her emotions grabbed a hold of her.

"Are you sure you are –"

"I'm fine!" Her voice became distant as she reached the top of the stairs, placing a hand on one of the small stands that were against the wall. She felt cold. What she looked like no longer seemed of great importance. Her heart seemed to be latched on to something and half of it wanted to break free. The other half…

The other half liked the feeling.

The feeling that she would feel rise in her chest when she was alone with him, talking about things that mattered or things that didn't matter. But what mattered was that they were talking and that the air would settle into something that wasn't business orientated. Something that wasn't nosy, wasn't pushy. A conversation between friends – friends that were… something more?

Her thoughts wouldn't settle.

* * *

Tenten turned toward her room and went inside, closing the door behind her. Her breath seemed to come in short puffs and she was pretty sure it wasn't the dress around her. Carefully she slipped out of the fancy fabric and put on something she was more accustomed to – shorts and a shirt that was three sizes bigger than she actually was. She undid her buns and brushed her hair out.

Once in comfortable clothing, she plopped herself on top of her bed in a distressed state.

"Maybe I should really take my advice," she said – loud enough so that only she could hear. "Maybe I should take a rest… Like I told Kurenai."

She tried and tried, but it wouldn't work out. The pain that she had experienced when she saw Sakura and Neji embraced return and her right hand involuntarily placed itself over her heart. She couldn't help but envision the fact that the two were at the party dancing…

Together.

The things she imagined were worse than seeing them right in front of her. It went wild. She imagined them exchanging a kiss while dancing the night away. One fact kept shoving itself in her face – the fact that Neji was in love with someone else and that someone else truly returned his feelings.

_Sakura…_

Tenten could not hate her. She had come quite close a few times, but her heart wasn't in it. She experienced a twinge of envy now and then, but the negative energy just wouldn't flow. She could do something that would squeeze and pop Tenten's heart – like kissing Neji back at the party – yet she did things that mended such evil deeds that Tenten could not hate her for – like the invitation to her party. She didn't have to, but she did. That and…

Neji was happy around her.

The thought – although somewhat sad, made her feel somewhat content.

Content… as if she could really put up with Sakura as long as he was happy.

With this epiphany in her mind, she finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A slam of the door and a jangle of keys was what awoken Tenten from her nap. Drowsily she glanced over at the clock and realized that a little more than two hours had passed. Thoughts of what Neji had done during this time plagued her again.

He most likely went out to dinner, she thought, with Sakura.

She sighed and a second thought went into her mind. I should really stop doing this…

But then Sasuke's voice came through.

* * *

"_You should quit."_

_Tenten blinked and she turned herself around to face him._

"_I'm sorry?"_

_Without a beat in between, without a glance, he replied, "Quit your job."_

–"_You're going to get hurt."_

* * *

_You're going to get hurt._

Her breath hitched. And she made herself sit upright. Was he right? Was quitting the right thing to do? She vaguely remembered her conversation with Ino as well and her stomach seemed to invert itself. Didn't Ino hint at the same thing? Was there something she was missing? Were the feelings she was having for Neji blinding her to what was important now?

* * *

_The blonde ignored her last comment and continued. "If it's killing you, just stop. Iruka and Kakashi wouldn't want you to push yourself. They think that… And the others think that too."_

_Tenten couldn't help but chuckle. "You're saying that like it'll be the death of me or something." She took a deep breath. "Relax. I know what I'm doing. I don't know if I'll find another job that'll pay as well as this one. So… I'm going to stick with it until the debt is repaid and we have enough to survive on our own." She forced a small smile. "I know my limits. If I know I'm pushing them, I won't continue."_

* * *

The decision came to her slowly, but surely.

She didn't want to get hurt.

"I have to stop," she muttered, her fists clenched, "before this gets out of hand." She felt her nails bite into the palms of her hand, but she did not notice nor could she feel the pain. The job was the thing that was killing her right? The job was the reason why she was feeling this unknown pain.

_No_, she corrected herself quickly. It wasn't the job.

It was simply being around Neji… being forced to see him everyday. It killed her.

Why didn't she go at the first moment this had happened?

Why didn't she just _leave_?

_Because I wanted to see him_, she thought. _I _wanted_ to see him._

Even though it had killed her, she enjoyed being around him. And yet…

Yet the fact that she loved someone who loved someone else. The feeling was like a poison that was in her veins – something that she wanted to escape from, yet keep safe within her heart simply because the feeling was unlike any other… because it was different and unique – and although it bought a lot of pain to her heart…

There were always those fleeting moments she would experience that made the pain worthwhile. The moment in the snow, the time on the mountain. Adding it all together, it seemed to outweigh the pain she saw when Neji and Sakura were together… Yes…

But… It made her so unhappy.

"I could end this here," she whispered to herself. "I could end it."

It would be finished.

* * *

Footsteps could be heard from the hallway. Tenten's head perked up and she slowly got up from the bed, walking to the mirror to brush her hair. Afterwards, she slowly opened the door and… sure enough, he was there at the top of the stairs, looking as if he had been planning to check on her. To see if she was doing all right.

Tenten's gaze had locked onto the floor once coming in contact with his eyes.

Neji frowned and raised an eyebrow. She sure was acting strange today… She didn't look exactly on the healthy side, either. "You're better now, I suppose?" he deadpanned, trying to not leak out any worry he was feeling… and also the surprise he had for the fact that her hair was not in the usual hairdo she wore during the day.

The girl took a shaky breath and nodded her head. "I'm fine…" she murmured. Slowly she met his eyes and straightened herself. "I'm –"

"Uncle says you should get more rest," he remarked, brushing past her and clearly not hearing the small beginning of her sentence. He also did not notice the flush of anger that came across her face. "And he's right. We have a lot to discuss tomorrow –"

"I'm quitting."

Neji paused, not understanding precisely. He looked at her. "What?"

Tenten looked at him head on. "I said… I'm…" She took another deep breath, still hesitant. "I'm quitting. I don't want to do this anymore."

-

Neji was baffled to say the least.

"What?" he repeated.

Something in him seemed to snap. However, he remained his cool composure, although he could not hide the sheer blow that marked his face. There was something… Just something that did not seem right to him. It wouldn't matter if she went, right? It wouldn't…

_Uncle would be displeased_, his mind said, creating a shoddy excuse. You _wouldn't want that._

Yet something else was telling him that that was not the reason at all… He couldn't place his finger on it, but he felt as if he had been punched in the stomach from the unexpected news. He also couldn't judge whether or not this was a fact… or if it was her supposed illness that was acting up again and creating this weird… atmosphere.

-

Tenten frowned, her arms crossed. "I said that I'm quitting, all right?" She gave a heavy sigh. "This… This _thing_ is making me…" Her voice trailed off and she refused to finish what she was saying. Judging by the trauma he seemed to be going through, it most likely skipped his notice.

Silence hung between them and Tenten turned her face away toward the wall. "I just… There, ok? I… I said it. I just thought you would want to know. I'll be the one to tell Hiashi… so…" She made a move to go back inside her room.

"Tenten."

The girl sighed but did not turn around, knowing that there was no way she would change her mind. Not now… Not when she had come this far. She couldn't. There was nothing he could give her that would make her stop from going out the door… right?

Right?

"I'll give you the house."

Damn.

* * *

**A/N.** I'm sorry for the somewhat short chapter this time around. School has been somewhat of a hassle this year and I had to concentrate on what I was working on.

Thank you for the encouraging PM's and such. Reading through them helped me get motivated and I will finish the story… The chapters might just come a little slow. I'm hoping the next one will be a lot longer and that I will get back to my usual track of writing.

Summer is coming up, so I will hopefully have enough time to write and start new stories that I have planned.

* * *

**Thank you to those who read and reviewed. Or just read.  
****Thank you for 350+ reviews.**


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